What do counsellors need to know about male depression?^*

* This paper has not been published elsewhere and it not under consideration for publication elsewhere.

ABSTRACT

The lower reported prevalence of depression in men has been related to depression not being as well-recognised in men as it is in women. We sought to understand the clinical under-recognition of depression in men by reviewing some of the key evidence on male depression, concentrating on practices in the UK. Additionally, we aimed to draw conclusions that would contribute to the improvement of health promotion and of the diagnosis for male depression. Our perusal of the available evidence has revealed that some depressed men experience significant difficulties not only in disclosing but also in identifying their depression and that men often exhibit atypical symptoms such as anger. Furthermore, depressed men are often involved in attempts to self-manage their depressive symptoms. This stoic approach compromises the well-being of depressed men and it discourages them from accessing appropriate support resources. We conclude with suggestions for practice and research.

KEYWORDS:

• Male depression
• atypical depression
• masculinity and depression
• men’s help-seeking
• clinical implications of male depression

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Chrysostomos Athanasiadis is a BACP-registered counsellor and a chartered psychologist. He is currently a Lecturer in Counselling and Psychological Therapies at the University of Central Lancashire.

Brendan Gough is a Professor of Social Psychology at Leeds Beckett University. He has research interests in critical social psychology, in qualitative methods and in men and masculinities.

Steve Robertson is a Professor of Men, Gender and Health and a Co-Director of the Centre for Men’s Health at Leeds Beckett University. His main research interests are on social theories of gender and masculinities and their application to aspects of health and illness.

Notes

* This paper has not been published elsewhere and it not under consideration for publication elsewhere.

1 ‘Jez’ is a fictitious male character who presents with an atypical manifestation of depression.

2 In the UK, General Practitioners are entrusted with diagnosing common mental health difficulties (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2014).