The NYU Child Study Center reports that once boys and girls turn 13, twice as many girls suffer from depression than boys, and this continues into adulthood. This does not mean that male depression should be overlooked, especially because males are more likely to die from suicide than females. There are gender differences in the way that the symptoms of depression are experienced and in coping mechanisms.
Support for Depression
One of the recommendations that therapists make for people suffering from depression is to get support from loved ones. It's important that people who are depressed allow their friends and family members to help them. Men are less likely than women to discuss their issues with depression and less likely to get support from family and friends. Men might isolate themselves from their loved ones. They might stop eating dinner with their family, stop going golfing with their buddies on Sunday afternoons and spend more time at work in their offices.
Atypical Depression
Men usually have issues with insomnia, eat less and lose weight when they are depressed. They have less of an appetite and use other coping mechanisms other than food to deal with their emotions. HelpGuide reports that women are more likely than men to experience symptoms of atypical depression, including sleeping excessively, eating more and gaining a significant amount of weight. Women are more likely than men to turn to a pint of ice cream and a plate of spaghetti to cope with feelings of sadness.
Suicide
When depressed, women are more likely to try to commit suicide, but men are more likely to be successful at committing suicide. Men usually use more lethal forms of committing suicide, such as shooting themselves, and women use forms of committing suicide in which they can be found in time to be saved, such as by taking a high quantity of pills. Suicide occurs when someone feels they can no longer handle the feelings of sadness, hopelessness, irritability and worthlessness.
Professional Treatment
Women seek professional treatment more often than men for mental health issues such as depression. Men try to ignore the problem for as long as possible, because a man feels like less of a man when depressed. Many men see depression as something women suffer from and feel weak if they suffer from it. Women are usually more open in therapy, will continue therapy for longer and are open to taking medication to reduce the symptoms of depression.
Healthy Coping Skills
According to the Mayo Clinic, in treatment, men need more of emphasis on healthy coping skills. For instance, a therapist would help a male client list concrete ways that he can handle feelings of stress and sadness, such as exercising, eating healthy meals and sleeping eight hours each night. The therapist would help the client implement these techniques. With women, a therapist would also cover healthy coping skills, but there would be less emphasis on it.
