Citation

Flaskerud JH. Issues Ment. Health Nurs. 2014; 35(8): 635-639.

Affiliation

University of California-Los Angeles, School of Nursing, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.3109/01612840.2014.903015

PMID

25072217

Abstract

Researchers have long observed that men and women tend to experience mental illnesses at different rates, with women showing higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders, and men showing higher rates of antisocial personality disorder and substance abuse. Yet, there seems to be anecdotal evidence all around us that men also suffer from depression and anxiety. The American Psychiatric Association reports that depression in men is not uncommon and often goes unrecognized and untreated. Research has shown that while men develop standard symptoms of depression, they often experience it differently and may have different ways of coping. Men may be more willing to report fatigue, irritability, loss of interest in work or hobbies, and sleep disturbances, rather than feelings of sadness, worthlessness, and excessive guilt. Depression also puts men at risk for suicide. More than 90% of people who died of suicide have pre-existing depression, and men are three times more likely than women to die by suicide. Recent reports of suicide in those who are active military and veterans have prompted studies of risk factors for suicide. Factors significantly associated with an increased risk of suicide include male gender, depression, manic-depressive disorder, heavy or binge drinking, and alcohol related problems. None of the deployment related factors (combat experience, cumulative days deployed, or number of deployments) were associated with an increased suicide risk.

What explanations are offered for consistent finding of gender differences in rates of depression, not only in the US worldwide? The origins of these gender differences in prevalence rates are not well understood although various ideas have been proposed to explain how they arise. These explanations include response bias, differential service utilization rates, and various biological, social, and demographic influences. Several theoretical explanations have also been proposed. This article will discuss these ideas.

Language: en