By Donna V. Scaglione
The topic of depression often is in the news. A recent study making headlines revealed women who drank four or more cups of coffee a day had a 20 percent decreased risk of developing depression over a 10-year period.
In the past, depression was known as a “women’s disease,” a condition related to hormones and other so-called female issues, but more than 6 million men a year experience depression, reports WebMD.com. And while both sexes experience similar symptoms, men show them differently.
Men and women both experience symptoms such as fatigue, loss of interest in things that once gave them pleasure, and changes in appetite and sleep patterns. But women are more likely to be extremely sad and feel worthless while men will be irritable and act aggressively, the website explains.
“Besides feeling ‘low’, I noticed I was more easily moved emotionally by things both happy and sad, than I had been in the past,” blogger Noel McNaughton says on his website Midlife-Men.com, recounting a period of depression he experienced when he turned 50. “This didn't bother me too much, as I didn't mind ‘having more feelings.’
“But what did bother me was that I became more irritable, and found I would get angry far more quickly than I ever had before. My research shows this is not uncommon.”
Because our society expects men to be strong and largely unemotional, their depression symptoms are not easily recognized, experts note. But untreated depression takes its toll on men. In the United States men take their lives at four times the rate women do, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seventy-nine percent of all suicides are men and it is the seventh-leading cause of death for men, the CDC says.
The good news is depression is a highly treatable disease for men and for women, but you must recognize its signs and seek help.
Know the symptoms. The severity, frequency, and duration of the symptoms of depression can vary for people, but generally, these are its signs and symptoms, according to the National Institute of Mental Health:
• Loss of appetite
• Overeating
• Persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, restlessness, or irritability
• Hopelessness and/or pessimism
• Insomnia
• Excessive sleeping
• Loss of interest in activities that once brought pleasure, including sex
• Fatigue and lack of energy
• Difficulty making decisions and concentrating
• Suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide
