Alternative medicine (3)
- Treatment-resistant depression
- Pet therapy: Man's best friend as healer
- Mindfulness exercises: How to get started
Complications (1)
- Suicide and suicidal thoughts
Coping and support (3)
- Depression: Supporting a family member or friend
- Mental health: Overcoming the stigma of mental illness
- Support groups: Make connections, get help
Definition (1)
- Mental health: What's normal, what's not
Lifestyle and home remedies (5)
- Depression and anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms
- Seasonal affective disorder treatment: Choosing a light box
- Sleep tips: 7 steps to better sleep
- see all in Lifestyle and home remedies
Prevention (1)
- Caregiver depression: Prevention counts
Risk factors (3)
- Depression in women: Understanding the gender gap
- Stress symptoms: Effects on your body, feelings and behavior
- Empty nest syndrome: Tips for coping
Symptoms (4)
- Male depression: Understanding the issues
- Symptom Checker
- Depression self-assessment
- see all in Symptoms
Tests and diagnosis (1)
- Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) tests
Treatments and drugs (22)
- Antidepressants: Safe during pregnancy?
- Serotonin syndrome
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
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continued:
Male depression: Understanding the issues
If you have suicidal thoughts
If you think you may hurt yourself or attempt suicide, get help right now:
- Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.
- Call a suicide hotline number — in the United States, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (800-273-8255) to reach a trained counselor.
If you're feeling suicidal, but you aren't immediately thinking of hurting yourself, seek help.
- Reach out to a close friend or loved one — even though it may be hard to talk about your feelings.
- Contact a minister, spiritual leader or someone in your faith community.
- Call a suicide crisis center hotline.
- Make an appointment with your doctor, other health care provider or mental health provider.
Get help when you need it
Asking for help can be hard for men. But without treatment, depression is unlikely to go away, and it may get worse. Untreated depression can make you and the people close to you miserable. It can cause problems in every aspect of your life, including your health, career, relationships and personal safety.
Depression, even if it's severe, usually improves with medications or psychological counseling (psychotherapy) or both. If you or someone close to you thinks you may be depressed, talk to your doctor or a mental health provider. Have the courage to ask for advice or seek help when you need it.
Male depression and coping skills
It takes effort to practice healthy coping skills rather than denying or ignoring symptoms of depression, or trying to blunt your feelings with alcohol or other drugs. Treatment with a doctor or mental health provider can help you learn healthy coping skills. These may include:
- Goals. Set realistic goals and prioritize tasks.
- Support. Seek out emotional support from a partner or family or friends.
- Activities. Engage in activities you enjoy, such as ball games, fishing or a hobby.
- Decisions. Delay making important decisions, such as changing jobs, until your depression symptoms improve.
- Health. Live a healthy lifestyle, including eating healthy and exercising regularly, to help promote better mental health.
Many effective treatments are available for depression. So don't try to tough out male depression on your own — the consequences could be devastating.
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- Men and depression. National Institute of Mental Health. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/men-and-depression/index.shtml. Accessed April 6, 2013.
- Bottorff JL, et al. Surviving men's depression: Women partners' perspective. Health. In press. Accessed April 8, 2013.
- Depression and men fact sheet. National Alliance on Mental Illness. http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Depression&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=88881. Accessed April 6, 2013.
- Alexandrino-Silva C, et al. Gender differences in symptomatic profiles of depression: Results from the Sao Paulo Megacity Mental Health Survey. Journal of Affective Disorders. In press. Accessed April 6, 2013.
- McDowell AK, et al. Practical suicide-risk management for the busy primary care physician. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2011;8:792.
- Schreiber J, et al. Suicidal ideation and behavior in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed April 6, 2013.
- Understanding suicide: Fact sheet 2012. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pub/Suicide_factsheet.html. Accessed April 6, 2013.
- Kung S (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 14, 2013.
- Hall-Flavin DK (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 17, 2013.
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