Men are four times more likely to commit suicide than women, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Mental Health.
Detroit-based psychologist Dennis Davis said that while he is seeing an increase in male clients, mood disorders and depression among men still go undiagnosed or ignored.
Mental illnesses such as depression are often first detected by primary care doctors, and Davis said most men tend to see male doctors who often don’t have the skills to spot the symptoms.
“The problem is not immediately identified. [it would] “Women are more emotionally sensitive,” Davis says, “of course, and this is a generalization, but men don’t generally feel that need or pick up on it themselves. It’s often left to the family doctor, and family doctors, especially male doctors, don’t pay much attention to that.”
Davis says social stigma plays a big role in the phenomenon.
Clichés such as “men don’t cry” or “just hold it in” or that vulnerability is weakness lead men to not pay attention to the symptoms of depression.
“Male physicians may tell their patients, ‘Don’t worry, it will get better. Just go out there and do your thing,'” Davis says, “but that’s not the answer to many of the issues and challenges that men face every day.”
Davis said he believes the pandemic has also contributed to an increase in mental health issues among men, who often try to avoid them by immersing themselves in work as a distraction, to do something productive.
“During the pandemic, our movements were restricted, and I think a lot of men were experiencing huge anxieties that they couldn’t hide,” Davis said.
Davis said men are problem solvers, too.
“Men like to answer questions too. They want to be the ones being asked questions and getting answers. And no one had any answers for the pandemic.”
Davis encourages men to ask for help and not be ashamed of it.
“I have [a] “Anxiety and depression are not signs of weakness. They are signs of being too strong alone for too long.”
To listen to the full interview with Davis, use the media player above.
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