MEN & DEPRESSION

Andy Novinska, LCPC, CADC

Student Counseling Services at ISU at (309) 438-2859

Veritas Counseling at (309) 660-2900

Disclaimer

The following presentation contains some generalizations and stereotypes which may/may not offend/validate what you know/may not know about men.

This information may lead you to pathologize your sons, brothers, boyfriends, husbands, grandparents, postman, waiter, and/or any other male figure in your life.

Consume with care.

Thanks for the memories?

Born in the U.S.A.

Masculine

Independent

Logical

Strong

Assertive

Adventurous

Feminine

Dependent

Emotional

Weak

Passive

Cautious

Patriarchy

American Heritage Dictionary

A social system in which the father is the head of the

family and men have authority over women and

children.

A family, community, or society based on this system or

governed by men.

Psychological Patriarchy

Defining relationships between two sets of human qualities. How Can I Get Through to You? Reconnecting Men and Women, by Terrance Real

Men and Women are both:

Independent and Dependent

Logical and Emotional

Strong and Weak

Assertive and Passive

Boys Learn

Hide or disconnect from feelings/emotions

Don’t ask for help (or admit you need help)

Stand up for yourself (be aggressive)

Don’t be a...

Sissy

Wimp

Sally

Punk

Etc… Real Boys : Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood by William Pollack and Mary Pipher

Be tough, big boys (real men) don’t cry

Emotional Life of the Male

In general…

Emotions live in the background of a man’s life and the foreground of a woman’s.

Men compartmentalize and intellectualize more.

Men experience a harder time interpreting unspoken messages in gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice.

Men react less intensely to emotions — and forget them faster.

The Lazy Husband by Josh Coleman, PhD

Societal norms/culture, politics, biases/prejudices, religion, temperament, etc., all influence our emotional lives

Stoic Man

Stoicism

1. indifference to pleasure and pain

2. (Philosophy) (capital) the philosophy of the Stoics

stoicism a form of conduct conforming to the precepts of the Stoics,

especially as characterized by indifference to pain and pleasure.

"Inside every man is a secret fear that he lacks competence and

courage, that he's not as manly as he should be. A man knows he is

supposed to take a bullet for his family. A man knows he is supposed

to fix whatever gets broken. When he's feeling powerless, when

everything he says seems to be the wrong thing, he shuts down and

withdraws. “ Mark Goulston, MD, co-author of The 6 Secrets of a Lasting Relationship

The Male Brain

Prefrontal Cortex The impulse control center of the brain, the part of the brain

that helps us consider the consequences of our actions . This

region is not fully developed until the early to mid 20’s in

males.

Assess for:

Drug and Alcohol

Head trauma Fighting

Sports

Accidents

Abuse

The Brain

The Male Brain

Men are hard-wired differently

The connection between the left brain (logic) and the right

(emotion), is much greater in women.

“Women have the equivalent of an interstate highway, so they

move readily between the right and left brains. For men the

connection is like a meandering country lane, so we don’t

have such ready access to feelings.”

David Powell, PhD, president of the International Center for Health Concerns

All things considered equal, vision trumps all senses with

men even more visual that women.

The Brain

Mirror Neurons

A neuron that fires when we act out a behavior OR when we observe a behavior in another.

Social behaviors

Empathy

Language

In humans, brain activity consistent with that of mirror neurons has been found in the premotor cortex, supplementary motor area, primary somatosensory cortex and the inferior parietal cortex.

"The mirror-neuron system“, 2004, Annual Review of Neuroscience

Less Aggressive

Highly Aggressive

Depression Basics

Every year depression affects approximately 19 million Americans, or 9.5% of the U.S. population.

Six million American men will be diagnosed with depression this year.

At some point in their lives' 5-12% of men will become clinically depressed.

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Abraham Lincoln

“I am now the most miserable

man living. If what I feel were

equally distributed to the whole

human family, there would not be

one cheerful face on the earth.

Whether I shall ever be better I can

not tell; I awfully forebode I shall not.

To remain as I am is impossible; I must

die or be better, it appears to me.”

Adult Symptoms of Depression

Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day

Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or most activities, most of the day, nearly every day

Significant weight loss/gain or significant decrease/increase in appetite nearly every day

Insomnia or Hypersomnia nearly every day

Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day

Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day

Feelings of worthlessness or excessive/inappropriate guilt

Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day

Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide

Feminizing Depression

“If modern psychologists were shown to understand how men's emotions affect their behaviors, it's only because their predecessors long ago decided that having a uterus was the main risk factor for mental illness. During the last two centuries, depression was largely viewed as a female problem, an outgrowth of hormonal fluctuations stemming from puberty, childbirth and menopause.”

Julie Scelfo, Newsweek, Feb. 26, 2007

Feminizing Depression

“We tend not to recognize depression in men because the disorder itself is seen as unmanly. Depression carries, to many, a double stain-the stigma of mental illness and also the sigma of feminine emotionality.”

Terrence Real

“Male” Symptoms of Depression

Frustration & Irritability

Anger & Aggression

Risky Behaviors (reckless driving, acting out sexually, gambling, etc.)

Alcohol or Substance abuse

Physical Ailments (pain, digestive issues, headaches)

Overworking (“workaholic”)

Excessive Television (sports)

Excessive Gaming or Internet Use

“As I reflect on over 30 years of clinical experience, I am appalled at the

realization that I have misdiagnosed male depression many times.”

Dr. Archibald Hart Psychologist and Author of Unmasking Male Depression

What's at Stake?

“Children of depressed parents have high rates of depression and anxiety disorders that are impairing and reoccur over the course of their lives."

Myrna Weissman, Ph.D.

Children with depressed parents have three times the rate of anxiety disorders, major depression, and substance use disorders.

Adult children whose parents were depressed have about five times the rate of cardiovascular illness as children of non-depressed parents.

Twice as many kids of depressed parents (19 percent) developed an addiction to drugs or alcohol, as did those of non-depressed parents (8 percent).

Offspring of Depressed Parents: 20 Years Later, 2006

Men & Depression: Facing Darkness, Newsweek, 02/2007

Men & Suicide

Although women attempt suicide more often than men, men are four times as likely to complete suicide.

Men take an average of just 12 months to go from contemplating suicide to attempting suicide. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Cause of Death?

Suicide

Covert Suicide

Accidents

Neglect of overall health

Violence/Homicide

Strokes

Heart Attack

____________________

Heart Disease and Depression

People with heart disease are more prone to develop

depression.

People with depression are more likely to have heart

disease than otherwise healthy people. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Men with depression and heart disease are two to three

times more likely to die than men with heart disease who

are not depressed. Men and Depression: New Treatments, Newsweek 02/2007

Working with Men

Assess for other disorders such as:

Anxiety, PTSD, sexual impulsivity, gambling issues, etc.

Be careful of jumping to axis II

Explore family history

Use a concrete tool such as the LEQ

Discuss male role models

Including athletes and media figures

Teach the language of emotions

Work with the left brain!

Work with the functional side of the depression

Working with Men

Talk “side-by-side”

Physically getting in a man’s face makes may trigger confrontation (watch personal space)

Coping skills

Exercise! Release stress and manages anger (cortisol goes down, dopamine and endorphins go up)

Diet

Hobbies/Interests

Painting, playing a musical instrument, woodworking, etc.) can tap into a man’s emotions

Explore parenting and partnering skills

Assess and explore spiritual/religious values

Look for mentors (even surrogate ones!)

John Head

“I decided I couldn’t urge

others to tell their stories

if I was unwilling to talk

openly about my own

struggles with depression.”

Standing In the Shadows

Understanding and Overcoming Depression in Black Men

Alonzo Spellman

"I was manic, moving

100 miles per hour, my

mouth was moving 100

miles per hour, my

thoughts were moving

100 miles per hour.”

Terry Bradshaw

"Winning didn't make me

happy…nothing fulfilled me.

I thought maybe if I won a

Super Bowl ... then maybe

two Super Bowls will make

me happy, or three or four ...

but nothing pleased me.

Nothing relieved me.

I couldn't escape it.”

Buzz Aldrin

“For most of the first several

Weeks after my depression

began I could not be consoled.

There were days I could not

get out of bed Some mornings

I responded to the doctor's

questions, other mornings,

I ignored his questions and

carried on my litany of self-doubt

and self-hate. At times I felt

hopelessly snarled in the tangle

of my mind.”

Thank You

Andy Novinska

(309) 660-2900

apnovin@ilstu.edu

vcounseling@gmail.com

www.vcounseling.com