Depressed Men Get It Worst
By Hayley Birch
Men! We don’t like to stereotype here, but stop skulking around the garden shed, polishing your screwdriver and hankering after that Ferrari (or whatever car is cool these days – I don’t know, I’m a girl... as long as it’s red). If something’s bothering you, whether it’s last weekend’s football result or tomorrow’s impending visit from the in-laws, don’t bottle it up, tell us!
Contrary to the Null’s recent report (Mr. Soft), which suggested modern man was learning to show a softer side, a new survey finds exactly the opposite. Men, hiding behind their “strong, silent type” images, are still stifling their emotions. Depression among men is not as common as it is in women, but because many are too proud to admit to their condition and seek help, the severity tends to escalate. Many turn to drink and drugs instead of treatment and effects can be compounded by the onset of heart disease, which occurs at an earlier age in men. Even more worrying though, are the suicide statistics: of those diagnosed with depression, four times as many men as women commit suicide.
These findings were reported in November’s Harvard Mental Health Letter. Editor in Chief, Michael Miller, stressed the importance of encouraging men to start and continue treatment. So here’s where the responsibility falls to us, girls. Be vigilant! Use your femininely wiles to coax the information out of him. And if you find your beau lying in a gutter somewhere, pick him up, dust him off and march him to the doctor without a moment’s delay. Even if it is Sunday morning and he’s lying outside the Red Lion.
To read more about Hayley or to view more of her articles click here.
Contrary to the Null’s recent report (Mr. Soft), which suggested modern man was learning to show a softer side, a new survey finds exactly the opposite. Men, hiding behind their “strong, silent type” images, are still stifling their emotions. Depression among men is not as common as it is in women, but because many are too proud to admit to their condition and seek help, the severity tends to escalate. Many turn to drink and drugs instead of treatment and effects can be compounded by the onset of heart disease, which occurs at an earlier age in men. Even more worrying though, are the suicide statistics: of those diagnosed with depression, four times as many men as women commit suicide.
These findings were reported in November’s Harvard Mental Health Letter. Editor in Chief, Michael Miller, stressed the importance of encouraging men to start and continue treatment. So here’s where the responsibility falls to us, girls. Be vigilant! Use your femininely wiles to coax the information out of him. And if you find your beau lying in a gutter somewhere, pick him up, dust him off and march him to the doctor without a moment’s delay. Even if it is Sunday morning and he’s lying outside the Red Lion.
To read more about Hayley or to view more of her articles click here.
Image: Tom Denham/SXC
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