Constantino Rusódimos
ENWR 1507
Professor J. Boatner
October 30, 2016
Depression: A Concern for Women and Men
According to common belief, it is usual for men to be stubborn enough to want to solve all of their problems by themselves, instead of seeking for help from others. A situation that perfectly exemplifies this tendency is the typical case in which a man would rather getting lost for hours on his own than simply asking a stranger for directions. Similarly, men tend to be quite stubborn when they start to suffer from a condition such as substance abuse or mental health issues. In this cases, they usually try to keep their situation to themselves, instead of accepting the fact that they have a problem. In the meantime, as they maintain the symptoms hidden, they are preventing themselves from getting the help they need. With mental health illnesses, specifically, men tend to deny the likelihood of them having the disease to the point where they try to make themselves believe they are just fine (Depression in Men). In this types of situations, men put themselves in huge risk by dismissing the possibility that they might be suffering from a real, dangerous mental illness.
Depression is a common mental health disorder that makes people lose interest in things they usually cared about, have deep feelings of guilt, a low self-esteem, and have problems eating, sleeping at night, and concentrating on their studies or jobs (Mental Health Foundation). It is common for people to hear about the condition and label it as a brief moment of melancholy and gloom that can be easily shaken off, but this assumption is entirely mistaken. It is a serious disease that can affect those who suffer from it intermittently during their entire lives unless they take the step of deciding to treat themselves. Depression, as all other mental health illnesses, is an actual disease that should not be considered less harmful because it has no visible effects (Mental Health Foundation). Being diagnosed with depression can alter the way you live and the way the people around you live, as well. One must not make the common mistake of ignoring the condition simply because its symptoms are not as obvious as those of a common cold, for example. On the contrary, people should be well informed in order to be able to recognize the manifestations if they ever have to, either for themselves or for someone else. These symptoms may vary greatly in different people. For example, one depressive person might go through only half of the symptoms that another person goes through, depending on the particular illness and the stage it is in. Still, the standard manifestations of depression tend to include persistent sadness, anxiety, guilt, decreased energy, and many others (NIMH). These symptoms are persistent and tend to get worse if they are not treated properly.
Apart from the symptoms, it is important to be aware of the things that might provoke the feelings of depression in men. These triggers vary, and they may come from different periods of time during each person’s lives. Although it is not out of the ordinary to develop this disorder as an adult, many men have their condition triggered by experiences from the past, from when they were younger. In fact, according to BeyondBlue Organization, one in seven young men between 16 and 24 years of age experience depression, which clarifies how common it is to develop the illness at an early age. Independently from the age, the situations that cause the depression in men differs in each person, but there have been many cases recorded that make up the list of common triggers. Some of these might be related with other people, such as experiencing discrimination, being bullied somehow in school or in the workplace, a break-up in the family like a divorce, or the loss of someone who you truly cared about. On the other hand, there are also personal situations that can provoke feelings of depression. These tend to include a low self-esteem or body image, physical health problems, being lonely, and the excessive use of alcohol and/or drugs (Beyondblue). Although going through some of these life events does not necessarily mean that a person will suffer from depression, they have been proven to be the dealing causes for depression in men.
As previously stated, it is common to see men who are not willing to accept the fact that they might me showing symptoms of a disease such as depression. They hide behind the inaccurate belief that a disorder of this kind could not affect a man, only women. Although this assumption is not true, through time, it has been proven that it is more common for women to develop the symptoms of depression than it is for men. The director of research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Jill Goldstein, proves that there is a significant difference by stating “In one of the largest depression-related differences between the sexes, women have about twice the risk of developing the condition as men”(Nierenberg). Still, these statements do not take away the possibility of the condition appearing in men. These types of illnesses do not discriminate; they can emerge in all types of people. The problem with men, specifically, is that they tend to hide and deny their feelings in order to appear as if they were perfectly fine. In their case, as well, they usually do not accept the treatment that they are offered, saying they do not need it, or that it will not work. (Depression in Men).
In the long-run, men’s refusal of treatment only ends up hurting them even more. This disorder is one that must be treated if the person who has it wants to keep on carrying a regular life. Without the medical attention that the illness demands, there is no way the he or she will ever improve their condition. Even though they might have times when they feel perfectly fine, it does not mean they have been cured; the disease tends to be sporadic. On top of that, the degree of how much it can hurt a person increases through time, to the point that it can lead to self-harm. In some cases, suicide is a real consequence, and it happens to be quite common in people who suffer from depression. According to studies made in 2012, there were up to 1.3 million suicide attempts recorded in the United States that year (Beth). In men’s cases especially, it is a real threat and possibility. Depressive men have been recorded to be up to four times more likely to commit suicide than women (Mental Health Foundation). All of this studies prove how men must be equally, or even more aware of the possibility of having this disorder because they might be harmed by it as much as women.
Through time, there has been a huge misconception about what depression truly is. People have been trying to shake off the symptoms, which are attempts that will always end up in failure. Depression is a real disease that brings along huge risks to those who suffer from it. When it is not treated properly, the illness only gets worse and continues to damage the depressive person at a bigger scale. Men, as stubborn as they are known to be, are commonly known for not wanting to acknowledge their condition or for refusing the treatment. The fact is, men are still prone to suffering from depression, even if studies prove women are more likely to do so. They must still be informed about what the disease is and alert to possible symptoms because it is a disorder that cannot be easily foreseen. In the end, taking into consideration how depressive men act when they are not treated properly, evidence manages to demonstrate how men have to be just as careful as women when dealing with this menacing illness.
Works Cited
“Depression.” Mental Health Foundation. N.p., 03 Aug. 2016. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.
“National Institute of Mental Health » Depression.” U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.
Nierenberg, Cari. “7 Ways Depression Differs in Men and Women.” LiveScience. TechMedia
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Robinson, Lawrence, Melinda Smith, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. “Depression in Men.”
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“Beyondblue.” Depression. Beyondblue (Organization), n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
Han, Beth; Kott, Phillip S.; Hughes, Art; McKeon, Richard; Blanco, Carlos; Compton, Wilson
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