Reuters: Many men need push to admit depression

[janet paterson <janet313@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Many men need push to admit depression, experts say

2003-04-01 - New York (Reuters Health) - Because it might be hard for guys
to admit they're feeling blue, the National Institutes of Mental Health
(NIMH) is aiming to raise awareness that men suffer from depression, too.
In a campaign launched Tuesday, the NIMH, part of the National Institutes
of Health, is encouraging depressed men to seek help.

About six million men are diagnosed with clinical depression each year, but
research shows they are less likely to recognize the symptoms and seek
treatment than women are. They are also four times more likely than women
to kill themselves.

"For generations men have been told that they have to act tough," U.S.
Surgeon General Richard Carmona said in a statement from the NIMH. "Today
we're saying to men, it's okay to talk to someone about what you're
thinking, or how you're feeling, or if you're hurting."

In the public education campaign, dubbed "Real Men, Real Depression,"
Carmona said, health officials are "attacking the stigma that tough guys
can't seek help. They can and they should." The campaign includes a series
of public service announcements featuring men telling their personal
stories about dealing with depression.

Studies show depression affects women about twice as much as men, but the
sexes respond differently to the disorder. While women tend to talk about
the symptoms and get help, men often do not,  according to the NIMH. Men
may overlook the common symptoms of depression, such as irritability, sleep
problems, withdrawal and loss of interest in hobbies and work.

"The hope here is to address men who have depression. Men who may not even
recognize that depression is the problem or that much can be done to help
them," Dr. Thomas Insel, NIMH director, said in the statement. He said
effective treatments are available and are successful more than 80 percent
of the time.

When men get depressed, they are more likely to seek solace in drugs and
alcohol, or to become discouraged, frustrated or angry, according to the
NIMH. And some men "throw themselves" into their work or hobbies, in an
attempt to hide their feelings from themselves and others. "We need to
understand how men respond to stress and symptoms associated with
depression, and how to alert physicians to better recognize and treat
depressive disorders in men," Dr. Dennis Charney, chief of the NIMH's mood
and anxiety disorders program, said.

Individuals and organizations are encouraged to visit the NIMH Web site
(www.nimh.nih.gov) for more information.

Reuters Limited.

janet paterson: an akinetic rigid subtype, albeit primarily perky, parky
pd: 56-41-37 cd: 56-44-43 tel: 613-256-8340 email: janet313@xxxxxxxxxxx
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