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Many Men with Depression Go Untreated; Here's Why You Shouldn't
June is Men’s Health Month, and while that should be a wake-up call for men to schedule their annual physical or follow-up on a heart-related condition, it should also be a wake-up call to see someone about their depression. For many men, though, the latter will go unscheduled and unresolved. Why? One word: stigma.
At the offices of Dr. Michael Kullman, in White Plains and Pleasant Valley, New York, the doctor and our staff offer effective treatment for depression in both women and men who need our help. Unfortunately, you can’t treat a person if they won’t come into the office or even acknowledge they have a problem. That’s why we want to debunk the reasons that say men should never seek out help.
What is depression?
Depression is a mood disorder. It’s defined by a persistent sense of sadness, hopelessness, and a loss of interest in routine activities. Depression shouldn’t be confused with “the blues,” which are temporary mood fluctuations most people experience as simply part of life.
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting about 3.8% of the global population. Symptoms vary from one person to another and may include:
- Blue mood
- Decreased interest in social interactions
- Loss of libido
- Changes in appetite
- Weight loss or gain
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Overwhelming fatigue
- Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, or guilt
- Difficulty thinking, focusing, or making decisions
- Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
- Suicide attempt
To be diagnosed with depression (also known as major depressive disorder or MDD), you need to experience a depressed mood for at least two weeks.
Stigma and mental health
The stigma surrounding mental health conditions isn’t a new thing. As far back as 6500 BCE, trephination — surgical drilling of holes in the skull — was a common way to allow trapped “evil spirits,” believed to cause mental abnormalities, to be released.
It was no better during the Middle Ages, when the mentally ill were viewed as possessed by the devil as a punishment from God and were either burned at the stake or thrown into “madhouses.”
Though we don’t burn people at the stake anymore, we’ve still carried the stigma about mental illness into the current era. An investigation of trends in public stigma published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that over the period 1996-2018, fewer people had negative associations of those with depression; however, negative views toward people living with schizophrenia and/or alcohol dependence continued to persist.
Why is the stigma still present?
There are a number of reasons. First is the media. While newscasts often run accounts of crime suspects, they invariably sensationalize the story when the perpetrator is struggling with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
Second, movies often exploit stereotypes, perpetuating the idea that people with serious mental illness are violent, dangerous, or evil.
Third, our society struggles with a combined lack of knowledge, lack of interest, and lack of compassion that only fuels the misconceptions, making people believe those with mental illness can’t function in daily life, are incapable of earning a living, and completely lack interpersonal skills.
Fourth, people struggling with depression and other mental conditions are looked at as weak and told to “buck up” and “stop feeling sorry for yourself.”
In most Western countries, too, men are generally supposed to be some unreachable version of “manly,” and that means never admitting there’s a problem.
The result? Men look the other way and let their illness go untreated.
Treating depression
Depression is a medical condition, and just like you can break your leg or develop cancer, the brain can also get sick. Fortunately, treatments are available to help you.
Some people respond to a variety of antidepressants, most notably the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), or the tricyclic antidepressants. However, about 30% of patients are treatment-resistant, meaning they don’t respond to conventional therapies.
Dr. Kullman offers IV ketamine therapy for people with treatment-resistant depression. It works on glutamate instead of serotonin, and it provides results within 24 hours. There’s even a nasal spray to use at home.
Struggling with depression? Be the healthiest man you can be. Call Dr. Kullman’s office at 914-465-2882 to schedule your consultation, or visit our website for more options.