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Suicide rates for men in the UK are three times higher than those of women (Office for National Statistics 2005). In the UK, men also account for around two out of three deaths related to alcohol (ONS 2009).
Men and women are both likely to suffer from depression but men experience depression differently. Men are much less likely to admit depression. Men with depression are much less likely than women to talk about what is happening and how they feel. Men with depression often feel the need to ‘be strong’ or ‘be a man’. It is often our very own sense of what masculinity is that stops men seeking help with depression. Seeking help gets viewed as soft or weak, when that is not the case. It can be helpful, and the start of a recovery process, to acknowledge the feelings depression and low mood can bring.
Men can and do recover from depression. I believe part of this recovery is understanding some of the unhelpful messages boys and men are raised to believe about what being a man means.
There is some research that suggests anger in men may be linked with un-diagnosed depression in men. Violent behaviour can be a warning sign of mental distress in a man. Male depression or depression in men is often hidden and complex. Men due to the very nature of being male will often not even recognise something is wrong, and be far less likely to seek help.
Please contact me if you wish to know more about how psychotherapy can help with depression in men.
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