Male Depression – The Gender and Depression Relationship
OK, so I admit it, I haven’t spent a whole lot of time thinking about gender’s relationship to depression. I know the basic pieces of information: more women are diagnosed with depression than men, and more women attempt suicide while more men actually commit suicide.
But there is a lot to understand beyond that. Did you know that men are up to 15 times more likely to commit suicide than women?
(True this isn't specifically about bipolar, but similar rules apply.)
Some Facts About Suicide, Depression and Gender
- Depression is diagnosed in more women than men
- More than 90% of people who suicide have a diagnosable mental illness
- Women attempt suicide 2-3 times more often than men
- 75% of those who sought professional help in an institution for suicide prevention were female while 75% of those who committed suicide in the same year were male
(Suicide and depression statistics source one and suicide statistic source two.)
In short, women seek help while men die.
Depression Manifests Differently In Men
There has long been a societal thought that depression is simply more prevalent in women than in men and so when diagnosing depression there is a gender bias towards the symptoms that women are likely to experience. Specifically, women tend to inwardly ruminate while men tend to focus more of their energy outward. For example, a depressed man might:
- Have trouble controlling temper
- Become easily annoyed, become grumpy, or impatient
- Find other people “drive him up the wall”
- Get very upset when others disagree with him
- Have difficulty maintaining self-control
- Exhibit physical violence
- Work longer hours
- Gamble or drink
- Become very jealous or possessive
(FYI, these factors correspond to Gotland Male Depression Scale.)
These symptoms are atypical of depression and not something for which a doctor would necessarily look. They are also behaviors more societally acceptable for a man then for a woman.
It’s Likely Just as Many Men Are Depressed as Women
We know that the leading cause of suicide is depression, and we know that far more men die of suicide than women so it stands to reason that at least as many men as women are in fact depressed, they are just wildly underdiagnosed.
Depression is Seen as Feminine
Because our society thinks of women getting depressed, crying, being sad, and emotional, and those things aren’t considered “manly,” men are societally discouraged from getting help for a mental illness. Don’t let this happen to a man you love.
Mental illness doesn’t discriminate. Depression can strike anyone young or old, male or female, rich or poor – don’t let unfair, hateful, innacurate social stigma keep you, or someone you love, from getting help for a mental illness. Getting help doesn’t make you less manly, it makes you live longer. And we would all appreciate that.
Many thanks to Jed Diamond, Ph.D. of MenAlive! for information on this topic.
You can find Natasha Tracy on Facebook or @Natasha_Tracy on Twitter.
APA Reference
Tracy, N.
(2010, December 10). Male Depression – The Gender and Depression Relationship, HealthyPlace. Retrieved
on 2024, December 18 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/breakingbipolar/2010/12/male-depression-the-gender-and-depression-relationship
Author: Natasha Tracy
I was diagnosed with Epilepsy at age 10 which was in the late 60's. There was no such thing as an Epilepsy Organization, nor did anyone know much about it, other than referring to it as a mental disability since it harms the Brain's ability to work properly.
Because of that, I was shifted from a General Hospital to a Mental Institution where I was sexually fixed (vasectomy) and my consent wasn't necessary as I was just a kid. But get this... back then, my testicles were removed. That's right....Removed!!! Back then, amputations to body parts were as common as pulling teeth. Look at all the war amputees who had their limbs removed rather than repaired.
Being labled brought many other restrictions, even after the Epilepsy Society was born and got me out of the Mental Health Center. Things like having me classed Unemployable, for Public Safety. Not allowed to Drive, due to Public Safety. And a new one that had me taken to court... Not allowed to get Married. The more I try to look ahead towards life, the more Public Safety Rules come up and say I can't do that, due to Public Safety. I was told..."The Safety of Thousands is More Important than the Satisfactions of Just One."
So then, why am I here if I'm not allowed to do anything?
What's the point of living if I'm not allowed to fall in love?
I'm tired of everyone else deciding what I can and cannot do.
Hi Matthew,
I find that entirely shocking. I mean, shocking. We've come so far from that I can't believe it ever happened, but then I can't envision slavery or women being the property of men either.
I for one think you are incredibly strong and courageous for withstanding all of that. I think you're inspirational. And I think you are "allowed" to do anything you want. I think you've proven that you can.
Yes, some people insist on making us believe we have artificial limitations. But I know they're wrong and so do you.
It's hard to fight all the time, I do absolutely understand that, but, in my opinion, your fight has been valiant and worthwhile and by sharing it here you are helping others.
I say, go you!
- Natasha
Hi Natasha, This is a good start and says something good about you that you were open to input and us Men,,TY My Friend. I am Bipolar and Schizo-affective disorder. I don't get out much and know only 1 other bipolar who does not seem to display her moods. I am lucky enough to have a great Wife who loves me for 30 years now, But I get lonely here all alone most waking hours. I don't mean anything bad about that! Just some company, But I would love to know more people like me. People like me don't get too many friends in the world we don't feel at home in. The "real" world so were told. :) Anyway I'm happy to see you address us men too, TY
Andrew hints at a big problem for us men with mental issues: men in general lack the social capital of women (e.g. we don't have the sort of relationships with our buddies you do with your girlfriends), so we burn through friends and family even more quickly when stricken. Couple that with predilections for anger and often being seen as dangerous if "crazy," and we can spend years alone and worsening.
My bipolar, like many men's, is purely dysphoric; I bounce between deep melancholy and agitation with moments (literally moments) of unexpected rage. In the meanwhile, it's all anhedonia, total lack of euphoria, and an absence of sexual desire that may as well put me in Matthew's boat. I've been like this in one degree or another all my life (I'm 36 now and have been single all my life). I remain underemployed, starting-and-stopping in graduate school as my health allows (it took a decade to finish undergraduate), and having little contact with people outside doctors, church, and the elderly father for whom I'm ironically caregiver.
Men's mental health is a creature that needs more attention. One only hears about it when an actor kills himself or some young man shoots up a school; in the meanwhile, millions of us suffer and get little relief from science conditioned to a very different (if equally important) female experience.
OMG Matthew
The way you've been treated is absolutely appaulling!!! No human being should ever have to go through what you did
Hugs
XOXO