Depression Counseling for Men with Empower Counseling: Depression might look Different in Men
The risk of depression for men is up 69% and their risk for anxiety is up 55%.
Depression is a serious medical condition, but more often than not, men try to ignore the signs and symptoms and refuse to seek help.
Ronald Levant, President of the American Psychological Association, has coined the term “normative male alexithymia” to describe the fact that men tend to have greater problems expressing their emotions. Levant believes that this difficulty expressing emotions contributes to depression and is also a reason men do not seek treatment.
Some men do show the more traditional signs of depression like:
Sadness
Worthlessness
Excessive guilt and self-blame
But men often times express their depression in terms of:
Increased fatigue
Irritability
Anger (sometimes even in an abusive nature)
Loss of interest in work
Loss of interest in hobbies he used to enjoy, and
Sleep disturbances
The symptoms of depression can look different in men than they do in women. Often times men mask depression with unhealthy coping….like working too much, drinking too much, or using other substances to just check out.
If a man is masking depression with drinking or using drugs, it might be more difficult for you to detect.
Untreated depression does not just affect the person suffering from depression. It affects relationships with family members, friends, and co-workers of the individual who is depressed.
Depression can lead to financial problems, and even suicide. Four times as many men die of suicide than women every year.
It is no wonder that fewer men seek mental health treatment, than women. Men in the U.S. grow up learning than men should not express their emotions, except of course, anger. The traditional male role in our country encourages a focus on success, competition, and power. This traditional male role is associated with anxiety, depression, and emotional problems. This is because men are human beings, just like women are. Men and women experience the full range of emotions from joy to despair, from happiness to sadness, from surprise to fear. However, for men in our country it is taught than men should not express this full range of emotions…only happiness, but not too much, and anger.If it is not socially acceptable for men to feel sad, scared, etc, then a man will most likely criticize himself, calling himself weak we he does experience such emotions and try to bury them, or avoid them by numbing with alcohol or drugs.
Depression Counseling for Men with Empower Counseling
Pay attention to the men and boys you love. Watch for the signs of depression listed above. Maybe you don’t see any of the signs but you notice that a man you love is drinking more than usual on a regular basis. Ask if you can talk to him…ask him what is going on in his life that is bothering him. Ask him if he would like to seek help, and see a knowledgeable, compassionate counselor who can provide him with the tools to address his thoughts and feelings. Eight out of ten cases of depression respond to treatment. Men, if you are struggling, needing help is not a sign of weakness. Rather it takes a great deal of strength to recognize you need help and to seek it out
Kathryn, Adam, and Kristine of Empower Counseling in Mountain Brook, are all trained in Acceptance Commitment Therapy for depression. Empower Counseling offers depression counseling for teens, college students, young adults and professionals. We also specialize in anxiety counseling and counseling for difficult life transitions. And, Adam is a certified addictions counselor as well. Reach out today 205-730-6570 or send us an email from the bottom of our home page.