According to statistics, depression develops less often in men than in women, but its manifestations can be more dangerous. Men in a depressed state often make attempts to commit suicide, and, unfortunately, these attempts are usually realized.
In order to prevent the death of a loved one, a woman needs to be especially attentive to him during difficult periods of life. Why does the disease develop, how to deal with it, and what to do if a man shows signs of a depressive disorder? , a psychiatrist and psychotherapist at the MEDSI clinic on Leninsky Prospekt, spoke about this .
Symptoms of depression in men
Psychiatry does not divide depression into male and female. This condition manifests itself equally in all people, regardless of gender and age. Signs of depressive disorders are formulated by the international classification of diseases. And if you notice one or more of them in a loved one, you should be wary.
It’s worth paying attention if a man has stopped enjoying those things that gave him pleasure before. For example, he happily went fishing, but now he refuses to do it. Or if he is increasingly in a bad, depressed mood, he tries to leave the house as little as possible, and in his free time he prefers not to get out of bed.
In addition to the external signs of depression in a man, there are also internal ones. “Boys don’t cry” - this is how men are raised in modern society. But precisely because of this, all the internal experiences that torment a person and increase melancholy are not brought out. Men are not used to discussing problems with their wives and girlfriends. And with depression, multiple negative thoughts may arise:
- about personal or professional insolvency;
- about the lack of prospects in life;
- feeling of guilt.
Against this background, attention decreases and intellectual functions deteriorate. The person becomes distracted and cannot remember important information or concentrate on important work. There is also a decrease in sexual desire for the spouse, sleep is disturbed, and appetite usually decreases.
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Depression is not justified and will not go away on its own.
Depression is an illness that needs to be treated comprehensively. In most cases, this disorder requires medication that can only be prescribed by a specialist. The course should be accompanied by correctional work with a psychotherapist and participation from loved ones.
You should not expect this disease to go away on its own. If there is no treatment, it becomes chronic, which is accompanied by phases of exacerbation.
Any excuses about heredity, life circumstances, etc. must be left aside. It is necessary to talk with the person and support him morally and in action.
Causes of the disease
These manifestations become a “marker” of processes that occur inside the body. Scientists have not yet figured out the causes of depressive disorders, but they agree that dozens of biologically active substances in the body are involved in them.
Clinical depression in men is not just a bad mood. This is a disease that affects the hormonal and immune systems, but mostly affects the functioning of the brain, as it disrupts the production of neurotransmitters responsible for emotions, reaction speed and performance.
Some external “push” usually leads to the development of depression:
- problems at work;
- dismissal;
- dissatisfaction with personal relationships;
- lack of career growth and financial well-being.
At different ages, the reasons may be different, but the processes occurring in the body of a man at 30 years old with depression do not differ from those at 40 and 50 years old. An external push triggers a cascade of biochemical reactions in the body, and it is not always possible to stop them on your own, without the help of a specialist.
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Medication methods
In some cases, the use of drugs that affect the psychological state will be required. Depending on the clinical picture and individual characteristics of the person, the following may be prescribed:
- Antidepressants are drugs that stimulate the body’s production of “happiness” hormones.
- Normotimics are medications that reduce aggressiveness and normalize the patient’s psychological state.
- Tranquilizers - relieve overexcitation of the nervous system.
Antidepressants have a selective effect. This means that for some people it will cause significant improvement and disappearance of depressive symptoms, for others some symptoms will go away and some will remain, and for a third group of people the drug may not work at all. That is why these drugs should not be taken without a doctor's prescription. During therapy, it may be necessary to adjust the dosage or replace some medications with others.
Treatment takes place in 3 stages:
- The first or acute phase lasts 4-6 weeks and usually results in relief of depressive symptoms. If after this period there is no improvement, a drug of a different pharmacological group (with a different mechanism of action) is introduced into the therapeutic regimen.
- Second phase. Aimed at maintaining a state of remission.
- The third stage of treatment is used in cases where a man experiences frequent episodes of depression and includes the preventive use of antidepressants.
All drugs are prescribed only when it is impossible to do without them.
Test for symptoms of depression in men
Psychiatrists diagnose the disease and determine its severity. It is difficult to make a diagnosis on your own, as well as to develop treatment tactics. Despite the fact that there are enough tests on the Internet for diagnosing depressive conditions and various scales, this method alone is not enough to clarify the diagnosis.
“In psychiatry, a diagnosis is established based on a person’s current mental state, life history and examination using tests,” comments psychiatrist Christina Wirth. “A diagnosis can only be made based on a combination of factors.”
At the appointment, the specialist evaluates the person’s behavior, clarifies the life history, causes and duration of the depressive state, and offers to fill out a test as an additional diagnostic method.
For self-completion, the patient uses the Aaron Beck test, where you need to select answers from groups of statements based on your condition over the past week. Another well-known test for diagnosing depression is the Hamilton Scale; it is completed by a doctor based on a professional assessment of the patient’s condition and behavior. This test is not suitable for self-diagnosis.
Treatment of male depression at the Leto clinic
The goal of treatment is to relieve or eliminate symptoms, restore work, family and social functioning, and prevent relapse. One of the first tasks is to decide whether treatment will be done on an outpatient basis or in a hospital.
Treatment methods vary: medications, psychotherapy, psychoeducation, self-help methods, electrical stimulation therapy, light therapy, or combinations of individual methods. It is an integrated approach to treating depression that provides the greatest results.
How can a man get out of depression on his own?
Despite the fact that depression was included in the international classification of diseases quite a long time ago and was recognized by the world medical community as a dangerous disorder, many people, especially in Russia, still do not take it seriously.
They think it will go away on its own, compare it to laziness, or accuse a person suffering from a depressive disorder of being spineless and irresponsible. And this is a huge risk, since without proper help, mental problems will only get worse. And against their background, the accompanying “responses” of the body will develop.
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“Since depression is based on an imbalance of bioactive substances, hormones and even the immune system, it increases the risk of dangerous diseases,” says Christina Wirth. “Against a background of depression, the risk of cardiovascular diseases and infectious diseases increases.”
It is important to take into account that you can get out of depression on your own only if it developed against the background of a problematic situation and at some point the problem was resolved. This improves a man’s emotional state and helps him regain his zest for life. If the problem is “prolonged”, depression develops over a long time, and it becomes impossible to get rid of it on your own.
After all, physiological processes are added to the psychological disorder, hormonal imbalance occurs, and the production of neurotransmitters in the brain is disrupted. And to correct the condition, the help of a specialist is needed. Otherwise, improvements may be temporarily observed against the background of the disease, but depression will regularly return and intensify for no apparent reason.
“Self-healing is possible with mild depression,” comments the doctor. — The maximum you can do on your own is to find psychological literature, self-help manuals, read them, try to work with yourself. But there must be a will for this, there must be faith in one’s own strength, and the aid itself must be professional.”
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What to do if someone else's depression drags you down?
If, while helping a loved one, you discover that you also have signs of depression, you should carefully analyze the cause of their occurrence. If you are depressed by the futility of trying to pull a person out of a pathological syndrome, you should understand that you are doing everything possible, but the main work lies on the shoulders of the one who suffers from depression. It is impossible to take it upon yourself.
In cases where a depressed state has arisen due to unclear reasons, it is necessary to consult a psychotherapist. You should not break contact with the person you wanted to help, since you may be his only support. However, at the first, even weak, signs of the disease, it is necessary to urgently take measures to treat it.
A little support goes a long way... But maybe not enough
Typically, people who are connected to something larger than themselves achieve more in life in almost all respects. Are you connected to something larger than yourself - to your marriage, for example, or to your family; with a social movement or with some charitable organization?
Most people will answer no to this question. They grew up believing that they were the center of the universe and that “self-love comes first.” Unfortunately, self-love does not teach tolerance for others, empathy or compassion, will not help you survive failures, and will not teach you the ability to control your own impulses. In fact, such love only teaches self-absorption - a companion to depression. This property also reduces the ability to give and receive support.
Rule three: don’t just talk, but also do (or just be there)
Typically, depressed people find it extremely difficult to force themselves to do anything. Therefore, any help from you will be welcome. Maybe you can bring groceries from the store, pick up the children from kindergarten and sit with them for an hour, help clean the apartment. One important addition: Only offer help when you are sure you have the time and energy to fulfill the request. Often in a state of depression, people experience irrational fears and cannot do things that a six-year-old child can cope with. At the same time, they are fully aware of the stupidity of their behavior - and this only makes it worse, because when an adult is unable to get out of bed and change clothes for the tenth day in a row or hides under the blanket because something rustles behind the curtain, he feels ashamed and awkward because he believes that others will certainly judge and laugh at him (remember that depression is like a magnifying glass, it magnifies all negative feelings).
Train tolerance, the pinnacle of fragmentation
Some people believe that they are entitled to whatever they want, regardless of whether they can afford it or not. They buy houses they can't afford, pay for things they don't really need, spend money on a whim instead of saving it. In other words, too many people today follow their feelings.
There are no instructions about which feelings to express and which ones are best kept to yourself. We learn this through observation and modeling, acquiring the skills I talked about just above: compartmentalizing sensations, assessing what matters more or less, and developing discretion about what is worth saying and what is best left unsaid. .
These skills can protect your marriage by creating and maintaining respect and generosity in your relationship. If you feel valued, even in a conflict situation, neither you nor your partner will suffer because you are mistreated, humiliated, or have your point of view rejected. You can love and respect each other for the rest of your life, even if you quarreled today.
Rule six: don't forget about yourself
If an old friend of yours is depressed, it will probably be enough to call him sometimes and ask how you can help. But if your loved one gets sick - a husband, a parent, a child - then you will need a lot of moral and emotional strength to help him get out. Depression doesn't go away in a day. It may take weeks or months for symptoms to begin to subside, during which time your loved one will feel like a shadow of their former self. He will not cope with banal household duties, because it is difficult to even get out of bed, he will be aggressive and pessimistic, his whole world will be painted black - and do not think that he will hide this from you. He won't have the strength to do it. Therefore, even cute cats from social networks will make him think about imminent death and torment. And all this time you should be that ray of light that looks through the dense forest of his thoughts. So that the ray does not go out and you do not lose your temper, you need to draw positivity from somewhere. Find your source of energy - and be sure to take time to recharge. If you like to dance, go to discos; if you enjoy drawing, start going to the studio. Connect with other people and do things that bring you joy. This is usually very difficult for loved ones of people suffering from depression. Because as soon as they leave the threshold of the house, a feeling of guilt begins to torment them. “Here I go to have fun, and my husband sits and looks at the wall... What a terrible woman I am!” Therefore, it is very important for you to instill in yourself the idea that it is not just you who need to enjoy life - it is vitally important for your depressed loved one. If there is no electricity in the house, your laptop will not charge. If you don't have the energy, your loved one won't be able to get the amount of attention and care they need.
Photo - Lori's photo bank
