so ina (p's therapist) gave me the february 26, 2007 copy of newsweek. the cover has a black and white photo of a man in a rumpled dress shirt and the main article is titled, "men and depression." i don't know if you can still get it in the store but it is a really good read and seems very fitting to my situation. i copied the article if anyone is interested.
despite having my degree in psychology a lot of what this article said surprised me. depression in men manifests so differently than it does in women. some of the quotes i'm including are a little no duh but they apply to my situation i feel.
signs of depression
*feeling depressed, irritable or angry almost every day
*losing interest in pleasurable activities or hobbies
*talking of suicide or death
*talking very negatively or being excessively critical
*acting recklessly or without concern for others
*abusing alcohol or drugs
*behaving violently and picking fights
*withdrawing from family and friends
*losing interest in work or school
*talking suddenly about separation or divorce
*losing the ability to concentrate
*eating too much or too little
*sleeping too much or too little
depression KILLS. get help here.
looking back, i suspect that r has been suffering from depression (to various degrees) since about october of 2005.
despite having my degree in psychology a lot of what this article said surprised me. depression in men manifests so differently than it does in women. some of the quotes i'm including are a little no duh but they apply to my situation i feel.
instead of talking about their feelings, men may mask them with alcohol, drug abuse, gambling, anger or by becoming workaholics. and even when they do realize that they have a problem, men often view asking for help as an admission of weakness, a betrayal of their male identities.
depressed men are more likely to get into bar fights, scream at their wives, have affairs or become enraged by small inconvieniences [...] "men's irritabilty is usually seen as a character flaw not as a sign of depression." in many cases, however, that's exactly what it is: depression.
some of the symptoms of depression are so severe, like gambling addiction or alcoholism, there are often mistaken for the problem.
signs of depression
*feeling depressed, irritable or angry almost every day
*losing interest in pleasurable activities or hobbies
*talking of suicide or death
*talking very negatively or being excessively critical
*acting recklessly or without concern for others
*abusing alcohol or drugs
*behaving violently and picking fights
*withdrawing from family and friends
*losing interest in work or school
*talking suddenly about separation or divorce
*losing the ability to concentrate
*eating too much or too little
*sleeping too much or too little
taking care of yourself physically, mentally and emotionally-maybe that's the real definition of what it means to be a man.
depression KILLS. get help here.
looking back, i suspect that r has been suffering from depression (to various degrees) since about october of 2005.