Symptoms of Depression in Men and What to Do About It

Did you know that while both men and women can experience depression their symptoms can be quite different? Instead of appearing sad, men may show their depression through symptoms of anger or aggression. This sometimes means that their friends, families, or even trained medical professionals are less likely to diagnose their symptoms accurately.

To add to this, men are not as likely as women to recognize their depression or even discuss it, let alone go and find treatment for it. Even while it remains under-diagnosed in our communities, depression affects a significant number of men.

Understanding symptoms of depression in men

It is only human to feel and express sadness or annoyance, or to have trouble sleeping occasionally. As you know these feelings blow over and pass in a couple of days. Depression is different. It is a serious mood disorder that can cause severe symptoms in people that suffer from it. It affects a person’s ability to feel, think and cope with daily life.

Being diagnosed with depression takes place once a medical professional establishes that your symptoms are consistently experienced for two weeks.

Not being willing to discuss how they feel or their emotions is linked to some of the symptoms that men feel when they are depressed. Studies show that some men who suffer from depression hide their emotions and may present themselves as aggressive, irritated, or angry. This is in contrast to how many women with depression appear sad and are willing to express this.

As depression removes a person’s zest for life, and replaces it with a feeling of tiredness and apathy, men may lose interest in their previous passions and interests, such as hobbies. They battle to remain focused at work and hobbies are often markedly absent from their lives. Men who are depressed are also more likely to have trouble sleeping than women may.

One of the ways that men are often diagnosed with depression is when a doctor examines them for a physical issue, such as a consistently heightened pulse, a tight chest, or consistent headaches. Sometimes their mental health symptoms will be reflected somehow in their bodies.

Men are also more likely to turn to stimulants as a way to cope with their emotional symptoms, including alcohol or drugs. Following this tendency for external intervention, while women sufferers of depression are tragically more likely to attempt suicide, men are more likely to be successful in their attempts due to the more lethal and dangerous methods they use.

Common symptoms of depression in men

Just as each person is unique, so is the way each person who suffers from the illness of depression. However, some of the common depression symptoms are:

• Alcohol or drug use.
• Anger, irritability, or aggressiveness. This is not simply feeling grumpy after having woken up on the wrong side of the bed. Depressed men are more likely to flip their lids and fly off the handle regularly. It may be in a passive-aggressive way, so do not be fooled by the lack of volume or physical violence in their anger.
• Anxiety, restlessness, or feeling on edge.
• No longer interested in hobbies, family activities, or work-related tasks.
• Changes in sexual desire and performance.
• Feelings of being hollow, flat, or hopeless.
• A decline in the ability to remember details and concentrate.
• Feelings of tiredness during the day, despite sleeping soundly at night; or not being able to sleep at night.
• An affected appetite through overeating or a complete loss of appetite.
• Considering and planning suicide, and attempting suicide.
• Physical ailments, such as aches, pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems.
• Significant decrease in capacity to fulfill responsibilities previously met in various roles of life, as a professional, a husband and father, and elsewhere.
• Taking part in high-risk activities.
• Retreating from relationships with family and friends, and becoming isolated.

Not every symptom is experienced by a man who is depressed, with the number of symptoms experienced changing each time. At least five symptoms need to be experienced for two weeks or longer for a doctor to diagnose depression in a patient.

Do men experience different types of depression?

There are several types of depression, each with particular traits.

Major depression.

This type of depression may happen just once in a person’s life, or they may have several episodes. While experiencing a major depression a man’s ability to eat, enjoy themselves, work, sleep, and study are all affected.

There are sub-types of major depression and these include the following:

Minor depression.

This is similar to major depression and persistent depressive disorder, but symptoms are not as severe and occur for a shorter period.

Persistent depressive disorder.

Also known as dysthymia, this has depressive symptoms that last for two years or longer but are not as severe as those experienced during a major depression.

Psychotic depression.

This is a severe depression where the sufferer has false fixed beliefs, also known as delusions, or hears or sees things that are not there, also known as hallucinations. These symptoms are aligned with depression in that a man believes he is ill or suffering from poverty, or he hears voices that are not real who tell him discouraging lies.

Seasonal affective disorder.

Also known as SAD, this is characterized by symptoms of depression during the long winter months when there is less natural sunlight.

Bipolar Disorder.

While bipolar is different from depression it can be included in this list as those suffering from bipolar disorder experience episodes of depression characterized by extremely low moods, as well as mania which is characterized by extremely high moods. These can typically last most of the day or three days, and symptoms include rapid talking, distractability, impulsiveness, and making reckless decisions.

Causes

Unfortunately, depression is a common mental disorder and studies suggest that it is caused by a combination of various risk factors, such as:

Genetically hereditary factors.

Men whose families have a history of depression may be more likely to develop it than others whose family members do not have the illness.

External stress. Also known as environmental stress, factors such as unemployment, bereavement, a major life shock, or other stressful situations may cause depression in some men.

Illness.

While depression is an illness, it can occur alongside other serious medical illnesses such as heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, cancer, and the like. These illnesses can make the symptoms of depression worse, and depression may do the same to other illnesses. Occasionally medication taken for these types of illnesses has side effects that can catalyze or stoke depression.

Treatment options

As previously noted, men are often reactive when it comes to their mental health. This makes it important that friends and family pay attention to the men in their lives so that they can recognize depression should it affect those they love.

Men are also more likely to go to a doctor with the encouragement of others they trust, and this is required for a proper evaluation and diagnosis. While depression has few physical manifestations, a doctor can run an exam and do lab tests to rule out other conditions that may present similar symptoms to depression. Should any existing medication be aggravating a depression, the doctor will be able to identify this as well.

It is useful to keep a diary of symptoms so that the information given to the doctor is accurate. They will likely want to know when the symptoms started, their severity, and if they had occurred before. Should a man have increased their alcohol and drug use, high-risk activities, or gambling to suppress any symptoms, the doctor will need to know this too.

Men are sometimes not used to being completely honest and transparent about their feelings, however, this is required for an accurate diagnosis and a prescription of effective medication. Also, be sure to include any information regarding other members of the family who have suffered from depression or other mental disorders.

Once depression has been diagnosed it is usually treated with medication or psychotherapy, or both.

Christian counseling for men suffering from depression

If you are looking for additional help to better understand symptoms of depression in men and how to effectively deal with depression beyond this article, please browse our online counselor directory or contact our office to schedule an appointment. We would be honored to walk with you toward a place of healing and hope.