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Men and Depression

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Submitted By Jgreen0204
Words 1085
Pages 5
Green, Joshua
English 101
Lila Joy
April 23, 2015
Men and Depression
Men not seeking help for depression is a growing concern. Why do men not seek the help they need or relies they have a medical problem that they need help with? When we feel helpless, unwanted, and neglected these lead to depression. Whether it be genetics, upbringing, or our status in life depression happens. Friends and family should be aware of the signs and help start a new beginning for helping the men in their life.
In the book Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling the character Sukhvinder suffers from depression. Even though she is female and not male she comes from a family back ground that is considered strong. They do not show a lot of emotion and affection. She feels neglected and uncared for. At school she is picked on and Fats continues to bully her in person and online. These feelings of worthlessness and neglect ion bring about her depression. She likes to find herself alone and cut on herself. This is done sometimes because when depressed and picked on we have to shut down everything we feel in order to survive another day. We do this so long that at a certain point we no longer feel anything. Then when we cut ourselves we actual feel something. Even though it is pain sometimes feeling something is better than never feeling anything at all.
According to ABC News men are about 4 times more likely to commit suicide than women. (McKenzie) Suicide rate is higher in men than women for the simple fact that they do not seek help for problems they are facing. It also is because some men do not even realize they have a problem. According to ABC news more men are likely to suffer in silence than ask for help. Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain. (McKenzie) This does not explain why men do not seek help though. This just shows that men when facing depression do not seek the help they need for they have no real idea they are facing a problem till it is too late.
The American Psychological Association feels that it is social upbringing that causes men to seek less help not natural or biological reasons. (Winerman) If we look at the examples of The Marlboro Man, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Bruce Willis just to name a few, are action starts and bigger than life. They also are looked to as an example of what a man should be. John Wayne would always ride into town on his horse to save the day. No matter if he was injured or hurt he never complained and finished the fight. He never settled down and was always alone. This is an image hat as men we grow up wanting to be like. The tough cowboy. The American Psychological Association says that it is the social norm for a man to have to tough it out. (Winerman) If a man goes and sees a doctor cause he is depressed it is a sign of weakness. (Winerman) The American Psychological Association also have conducted surveys that show men are more likely to get help with problems they feel are common in most males. (Winerman) In a way we as a society have made men feel this way. I have played in basketball games where the rules were no blood no foul. We seek out to be tough and take as much pain as we can without showing any weakness.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health men experience depression differently than women. (Services) They become tired and bored with their job. The things that were fun to them are no longer entertaining. Men may also become more aggressive and violent. They also have a tendency to use alcohol and drugs to mask the pain of their depression or to make themselves feel better. Men can be affected at any age and there is no one real reason that depression occurs. According to the National Institute of Mental Health depression can be caused by genes, brain chemistry, hormones, and stress. (Services) Suffering from some depression myself I can verify that things I find the most fun lose their shine. The games I play, movies I watch, and books I read bring me no enjoyment. I become moody and cranky.
Depression is a serious problem. Left untreated it can lead to hurting oneself, hurting others, or suicide. The first thing we as a society or as men have to do is realize the signs of depression. Then we have to get over the stigmatism that we are supermen. We have feelings and emotions just like anyone else. We can be as strong as a rock but if we do not get help the problems inside will eat away and erode the rock down until there is nothing left but dust. Being a pillar of strength and being there for others is a great thing but when we let ourselves go we have are no help to anyone at that point. We have to change the image of what a man should be. It is ok to discuss your feelings and share your thoughts. We need to start teaching our children and young boys that being in touch with your own feelings and emotions is a hard thing to do but it is the only way for us to see what we really have going in on the inside.
If we as men want to be really tough and show the world how strong we are we need to step up and when we have a problem seek medical attention. There are many treatments out there that are helpful in fighting depression. There are talk therapy groups and medication to name a few. As a society we can change our image and still be the pillar but even a pillar needs to be patched, painted, and sanded once in a while.

Works Cited
McKenzie, John. "More Men Suffer Depression Than Seek Help." 17 June 2015. ABC News. <http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Depression/Story?id=129631&page=1>.
Services, U.S. Department of Health & Human. "National Institute of Mental Health." 2013. Men and Depression. <http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/men-and-depression/index.shtml>.
Winerman, Lea. "Helping Men to Help Themselves." June 2005. American Psychological Association. <http://www.apa.org/monitor/jun05/helping.aspx>.

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