The last few months have been a bit rocky for one of my friends. Health and financial problems in his family has been pushing him to the limit and it is sometimes sad to find out that everything he had worked for in the last few years are starting to go down the drain. Knowing how much he takes pride in his work and his achievements, I know just how much depressing it could cause him.
It is widely perceived that women experience depression far more commonly than men do. Probably this is because women have the symptoms of depression that we can easily associate with. In truth, however, men and women experience depression at the same rate. The causes of depression for men and women also tend to be the same, though symptoms can be different.
For women, the symptoms can be profound sadness, guilt, and a feeling of worthlessness. These are the typical symptoms that we usually find in the media. For men, they report mostly fatigue, loss of concentration, sleeping difficulties, and loss of interest in work and social activities.
Furthermore, if women tend to seek treatment for their depression, men tend to find distractions and immerse themselves in different activities. This may involve working compulsive, or taking in substances like alcohol and drugs.
Depression has also been traditionally linked to suicide. In this regard, we know that women tend to make more suicide attempts than men, though in the United States, men die by suicide four times more than women do. I guess women almost always fail in their attempts.
If you are a man who experiences the abovementioned symptoms, do not immerse yourself in distracting activities. Get help. The experts are always there to help you get out of your depression--and never, ever commit suicide.
Now if you are just a friend or closely related to the depressed, maybe you should try to seek out help for him yourself. Based from the information above, men's depression tend to result in more suicidal deaths. So why wait for that time to come when you can intervene immediately?
