Depression can affect anyone, regardless of gender. But do you ever wonder if men and women feel it differently?
As it turns out, they do.
Some things are the same, like the feelings of hopelessness, self-doubt, and loss of interest in everyday life.
But women are almost twice as likely as men to have depression, and that’s the same across race, ethnicity, and economic positions in life. Women are more likely to fall prey to seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and atypical depression, which includes excessive sleeping and eating instead of the reverse.
But what other differences are there between male and female depression? Let’s take a look (thanks to helpguide.org for the info).
Women are more likely to:
- Feel apathetic and worthless
- Avoid conflict
- Talk to their friends about self-doubt
- Feel slowed down
- Blame themselves for feeling the way they do
- Use other people’s “love” as self-medication
Men are more likely to:
- Feel angry
- Instigate conflict
- Keep their feelings to themselves
- Feel restless
- Blame others for their feelings
- Abuse alcohol and sex as self-medication
Women are also more likely to be hit harder by depression and suffer for longer than men do. However, men are much harder to diagnose, and often let their feelings fester, leading to an increased likeliness for suicide in comparison to their female counterparts. ##MN_RESP##
However, women are much more likely to experience a double-whammy of mental illness, often experiencing depression with another illness, like eating disorders, anxiety and panic disorders, or obsessive compulsive behavior.
It may seem like there’s nothing good about making these distinctions, but the good thing to come from understanding these differences is that we can understand depression more easily.
If you or a loved one are affected by depression, talk to a professional about getting treatment.
