Why is depression in men often under-diagnosed?
There is a large number of people that has not received the diagnosis of depression both men and women. However, men are significantly more likely to not get the diagnosis.
Men often report more physical symptoms such as sleep issues or aggression. There may be more risk-taking behaviour or increased substance abuse. This leads doctors to see anger as a personality trait, rather than a sign of depression.
Often men talk about physical symptoms like headaches, chest tightness, tiredness, issues with sleep, appetite, digestion, libido or they talk about feeling frustrated and irritable. They may feel it would be less “masculine” to express emotional lows or sadness, unlike the description that women provide of the way they feel. Often the attempt to conceal depression may cause men to engage in self-destructive behaviour, or even to lash out.
Men may also discuss the following:
*Working obsessively without taking proper breaks, they feel more “in control”
*Difficulty in keeping up with work or family responsibilities
*Becoming more obsessive or controlling in relationships
*Engaging in gambling or unsafe sex
*Generally losing enjoyment in pleasurable activities
*Issues with concentration
We must realize that depression is more common in women, but the number of men who die by suicide is about four times that of women. One reason could be that men are less likely to be diagnosed as having depression and we all know that depression is a major risk factor for suicide.
What can be done?
Educate, educate, educate! We all need to be aware of the fact that men do get depressed, and their manifestations are different from females.
We need to accept that seeking help for depression is not a sign of weakness or being effeminate
We need to realise there is a huge genetic component associated with depression so taking a proper history is incumbent on the interviewer.
We need to start treatment immediately, medication and therapy and not expect that the person will “snap out of it”.
We need to get over the myths associated with the taking of medication.
In addition, we need to stop being google doctors who believe their two hours of google research puts them on par with medical graduates who have put in many many years of learning and experience.
Finally, men need to look out for themselves and do the best that they can do to look after their own mental health!
As Henry Longfellow had once correctly said, “every man has his secret sorrows which the world know not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad”
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
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