Whether it’s you or someone you know, depression has some pretty clear signs and symptoms. While women are almost twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression, men are less likely to be willing to discuss their depression and seek help. That’s a very serious issue. Depression is a serious medical condition. If one ignores that they’re depressed or refuses treatment, it only hurts them.
If you have more than a few signs of depression in men, it’s time to seek help. There are many places to go to talk to someone. The easiest of which is online counselling services. You don’t even need to leave your home. You can do it on your phone. Help is available, and depression is not something you have to live with alone. Treatment is out there.
Here are the eleven most common signs of depression in men:
Sign of Depression #1: Sadness
The top signs of depression in men are sadness, hopelessness, or emptiness. Sometimes, you may experience a catastrophic event, like a death, job loss, a relationship ending, or some sort of life-changing event. The feelings of sadness can turn into depression in anyone. If emotions build and aren’t processed, these feelings can amount to serious depression.
Sign of Depression #2: Isolation
Isolation is one of the most common signs of depression in men. Some men are naturally isolated. Their work may be isolated. Their personalities may naturally involve being fairly alone. However, the isolation can intensify to unhealthy symptoms.
Do you notice if someone is turning down opportunities to connect? Depressed men may start to voluntarily withdraw from activities they might normally say yes to. If so, this might be a sign that they’re not feeling well.
Sign of Depression #3: Irritability
Depression is a mood disorder. It impairs one’s ability to regulate their emotions, and in that, irritability comes up. As a man is less likely than other genders to be willing to discuss their depression, this allows feelings to build up. Irritability and frustration are signs that something’s wrong.
Sign of Depression #4: Abusive behavior
In some men, depression can lead to controlling, abusive, or violent behaviour. Maybe you are not normally a violent or controlling person, but find yourself having inappropriate anger in certain situations. In that case, this could relate to depression and the lack of control that comes with one’s mental health in that state.
Sign of Depression #5: Recklessness
A lack of care for one’s well-being sometimes accompanies depression. Some men may start to engage in purposefully risky and reckless behaviour, such as dangerous driving, unprotected sex, and engaging in situations where they knowingly abuse themselves mentally or physically.
Sign of Depression #6: Tiredness
Depression has a way of affecting energy levels. A man may always be extremely tired, get too much sleep, or have difficulty sleeping. Sleeping issues are fairly common and, in some cases, should be evaluated by a doctor to rule out other underlying causes. Any of these difficulties can be a symptom of depression.
Sign of Depression #7: Lack of pleasure
A man with depression might lose his passion for doing something they enjoy or suddenly find no more pleasure in a hobby. This lack of pleasure in a person’s life only adds to the frustration of living with depression. All they have left is the sadness they’re living with, and it’s another reason why depression is so serious.
Sign of Depression #8: Working all the time
Men tend to want to ignore difficult emotions and want to distract themselves with things like work. If someone is throwing themselves into a lot of work and there’s a sense of avoidance, this could signify that there are unsaid feelings. Something else is beneath the surface.
Sign of Depression #9: Unhealthy coping strategies
Depression can remove a person’s ability to feel joy. Unable to get joy from healthy sources, a man might use unhealthy coping strategies that bring them temporary joy.
Things like drinking too much, doing hard drugs, overeating, doing too much exercise, or having too much sex are all things that may feel like they help somewhat but are only doing long-term damage.
Sign of Depression #10: Reluctance to discuss signs
Men often don’t want to talk about what’s going on in their brains. They may genuinely be unaware that they are depressed, but others are aware but don’t wish to have it acknowledged in front of someone they love or respect. They will downplay signs and symptoms or be reluctant to talk about it with whoever’s asking.
Many men will try to self-manage themselves, and unfortunately, with depression, it’s not a situation where self-management often works.
Sign of Depression #11: Physical Symptoms
Depression can present with physical symptoms as well. You may have more headaches, digestive problems, and pain, among other things.
Depression stresses the body’s systems, resulting in a higher likelihood of feeling negative physical health symptoms. These are all things to be evaluated by a physician to rule out other underlying causes.
