Depression and Anxiety

Introduction

    Feeling hopeless, helpless, and worthless is a common emotional state that is named as mood disorder or depression. The continued sadness and loss of interest in activities remain the major symptoms of all mood disorders, but it is depression that is more common. They can be due to problems with relationships, activities of daily living, school performance, or work efficiency. The individuals who have been exposed to traumas like abuse or death are more likely to have depression, and there are more affected women than men, regardless of whether there is a cause of it or not.

    Depression is the most commonly reported of the mental illnesses. Suicide, which results in over 700,000 deaths each year, is the fourth leading cause of death among those aged 15 to 29.

    Even though there are effective treatments available, the majority of the people in the low- and middle-income countries, regardless of the fact that three out of the four depressive patients can be helped or cured, do not receive care due to inadequate health coverage, a lack of healthcare providers, and the stigma associated with mental health issues.

Symptoms and patterns

    During a depressive episode, an individual undergoes a constantly low mood. A state of sadness, irritability, or emptiness can be a symptom of depression. They also cannot feel anymore the happiness or enjoyment that could be found at previous activities. It is a worsening condition that now eats up most of the day, every day, for two weeks. Symptoms that may be developed are:

• Decreased ability to concentrate
• Feelings of extremely strong guilt or low self-esteem
• A feeling of despair towards the future
• Thoughts of suicide or death
• Change in the regular sleep pattern
• Alterations in appetite or weight
• Feeling exhausted or low in energy most of the time

    Depression is a disorder that particularly affects one's personal and social life. This involves impairments in interpersonal relations, work, and academic performance.Depressive episodes are categorised by the extent and intensity of the symptoms as well as their impact on the daily living of the person.Depressive episodes come in several forms, including:

• Single Episode Depressive Disorder: This means that the person is experiencing their first and only episode of depression.
• Recurrent Depressive Disorder: This shows that at least two depressive events have been experienced by the person in their life.
• Bipolar Disorder: In this setting, depressive episodes are alternated with time periods when symptoms of mania occur which involve sensations such as feelings of high or low energy, overexcitement, rapid speech, a sudden increase in self-worth, a decrease in the need for sleep, distractibility, and even impulsive behaviors.

Male depression often is not diagnosed

    Many men do not get a diagnosis of depression for different reasons, such as:

1. Not recognizing depression. You could be mistaken to believe that feeling blue or being in the blues is always the main sign of depression. However, as one of the men, one can observe other symptoms instead of feeling sad or emotional. For instance, headaches, digestion problems, tiredness, and irritability are just some symptoms that can be part of the syndrome. Conversely, being isolated and looking for activities that provide you the relief of backing off from feelings and relationships can also be some sign of having depression.
2. Downplaying symptoms. You may be unaware of the effects of your symptoms on you. Or you may not want to admit to yourself or anyone else that you are clinically depressed. However, denying, hiding, or using delusion of healthy behaviors to mask depression can only exacerbate the problem.
3. Not wanting to talk about depression symptoms. You may avoid discussing your issues with relatives, friends, or even a medical personnel. Quite a lot of men deal with the issue of self-control, and you might be one of them. Moreover, some of you may believe that men should be silent around depression issues and, hence, try to mask them.
4. Not wanting to get mental health treatment. Even though if you suspect you have depression, you may not be willing to be diagnosed or cured. You might be hesitant to seek help because you fear that the stigma of depression may terminate your career or make your family and friends disrespect you.

Get help when you need it

• Men can find it difficult to ask for help. However, if left untreated, depression is not probable to go away and may only exacerbate. If it is not taken care of, depression can cause you and people close to you to be unhappy. It can get caused in any area of your life. It can affect your health, career, how well you get along with others and personal safety. Explain what is wrong and what is the ordinary treatment for it, are some of the questions that the counselor will ask you but a key part of the therapy process isEducation about it. Live talk video is a counseling platform that provides online therapy through energetic conversation and has a group of communication therapists. Some specific ones that seem appropriate to the clients of the helpline are.
  
  
• There are many problems that are faced when a person becomes a drug addict from the poverty of locale, increased crime rates in the environment, etc. Children who are neglected are more likely than other children to be hurt or go missing. Some parents choose cheaper childcare if they struggle to juggle finances. For example, the underlying condition may be a mental disorder that has not been diagnosed or adequately treated or it might be a communication barrier.    

Self-care

    One of the most crucial aspects of taking on depression is embracing self-care, which can be an instrumental factor for symptom control and support the overall quality of life.

1. What you can do:
2. Keep doing your previous activities that use to give you joy
3. Maintain interaction with friends and relatives
4. Keep doing exercises every day even if it will be just a short walk
5. Try to establish regular patterns of eating and sleep as a habit as much as possible
6. The heavy drinking of alcohol and drug abuse which intensify depression should be avoided or minimized
7. Share your feelings with someone you know and trust
8. It would be good to see a healthcare provider.

Speaking of suicidal thoughts:

1. Take courage in the fact that many people have felt what you feel and found help, you are not alone
2. Find someone you can safely tell your emotions and thoughts to
3. Consult a healthcare professional such as a doctor or counsellor, for further assistance
4. Enroll in a support group.
5. If you have a strong belief that you are going to hurt yourself very soon, get in touch with emergency services or a crisis line.

Male depression and coping skills

    Treatment with a therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, or social worker who is trained and experienced in mental illness and therapy can teach you the following:

• Write down how you feel and discover the behavioral patterns that you are performing that are causing you emotional pain. Besides, using the feedback you get from acting mindfully will help you to decide how you can (choose to) make them better.
• Familiarize yourself with techniques like mindfulness and meditation, and learn time management, organization and emotional regulator skills.
• Re-arrange your mind and find different methods that you could perhaps try out to get the desired results.
• Decide what is most important to you and take steps toward that value to see how far you get.
• Set realistic goals and point out activities according to the rate of importance.
• Get comfort and support from a partner, family or friends group. You will also discover how to engage in social activities to have a social life.
• Put off any life changes until you have fully recovered, for example, don't leave your job without being sure the other employment is secure.
• Get engaged in physical or mental activities that you usually enjoy, like playing ball, fishing, or working on your hobby.
• Strive to keep a routine daily schedule and develop habits that will make you stronger. One way you can do this is by eating healthy, exercising regularly, and staying away from alcohol and other substances which would help in your mental well-being. The decision is up to you.

    Depression can be treated with many therapies. Don't ever try to solve the question of male depression by yourself. Achievement may be less, and in the end, the outcome may be catastrophic since it can be resulting from dealing with the issue mostly or totally alone.

How to support a man with depression

1. Engage with him in a way that is of conversation and do it with an open mind. Do not suppress any feelings expressed by him and try to comfort him, just to realize that there is hope.
2. Suicide is a severe problem and you should never joke about it. If you are in the US, dial 988 which is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, or if you are calling from another country, you can find a suicide helpline at Befrienders Worldwide.
3. See if he would be interested in going out, like a walk with you or have friends join you for lunch. Even if the answer is no, keep on trying.
4. Rekindle in him the activities that he once took pleasure in, such as hobbies, sports, or culture and arts. On the other hand, don’t be too overbearing with your support.
5. Refrain from using phrases like ‘snap out of it’ to calm him. Instead, tell him that when he finds new ways and is strengthened by your patience, he will begin to feel relief.
6. Check if he has been taking the medication he was prescribed as well as visiting the doctor. He should get off the alcohol according to the doctor’s prescription while mds are taken.
7. Realize that you cannot "fix" other people's depression. You are not responsible for your loved one;s depression or for his joy. Your support can make a difference in his recovery, but in the end, it is up to him.

Conclusion

    Men's physical and mental health are badly affected by anxiety. It can be made better by diagnosing early and providing men-focused treatment for anxiety. One of the tangible effects of this special sensitive approach is that it will reduce suicide and mental health problems in men. Gender-aware mental health approaches for men's anxiety must be co-designed, implemented, and evaluated with men themselves. Interventions should aim to demistify and normalize feelings of anxiety and discomfort men experience (and other psychological problems in general) by promoting context and language that the user can understand thus making tools more efficient. Managing men's anxiety disorders through the use of therapies has also made therapy effective in treating men's anxiety and thus promoting better mental health in them.