Signs of Depression: Tips to Get Rid of Depression

Depression is a mood disorder, and the doctors may refer it to different names. They often call it clinical depression, major depression, or major depressive disorder. It affects our thoughts, feelings, body, and behaviour when we are suffering from it.

More than 300 million people are affected by clinical depression worldwide, and 16.8% of the UK’s male population are dealing with depression. So, it is safe to say that depression is also common in men.

For men, depression is a significant risk factor for suicide. Men are four times more in danger than women. Because men use gun and other dangerous methods when committing suicide.

Why male depression often goes undiagnosed?

Men with depression often aren’t diagnosed for several reasons. The reasons are:

Failure to recognise the signs of depression

Most men fail to recognise the signs of depression, especially at the beginning. For example, you may think that feeling sad or emotional is always the main symptom of depression. But it’s not always the same, everyone shows different signs.

For many men, feeling sad or emotional isn’t the primary symptom. For example, they feel headaches, digestive problems, tiredness, irritability or long-term pain when they suffer from depression. So, you need to identify the symptoms of depression to fight against it properly.

Downplaying signs and symptoms

At first, you may not recognise how much your signs affect you. Or, you may not want to admit to yourself or to anyone else that you’re depressed. They ignore, suppress or mask the symptoms of depression. This is an unhealthy behaviour, and this will only worsen the condition.

Reluctance to discuss depression symptoms

Men do not share their problems with friends and family but, it is always not the same. Sometimes they may be open to talking about their feelings with their close one, doctor or mental health professional.

If you are a man, like many men, you may have learned the art of how to emphasise self-control. You may think it’s not manly to express feelings and emotions associated with depression. Thus, you try to suppress them.

Resisting mental health treatment

Men often try to resist mental health treatment or taking help from others. Even if they suspect they are suffering from depression, most avoid diagnosis or refuse to accept treatment.

They avoid getting help from a doctor or family member because they are worried that the stigma of depression could:

Depression in Women

Women are more prone to the signs of depression. They are twice more likely to suffer from depression than men. If you are a woman, depression can impact every area of your life. For example, it can affect your physical health, social life, relationships, career, and sense of self-worth.

It can be caused by some factors such as social pressures, reproductive hormones, and your unique response to stress. Although, it’s essential to know that you are not alone. As mentioned above, women suffer two times more than men from depression, but it is treatable. You can do plenty of things to fight depression and make yourself feel better. 

Signs and Symptoms of Depression in Men and Women

Common signs of depression in men and women?

Excessive Worrying

Constantly worrying about things could be a symptom of depression and anxiety. Well, some worry is a normal part of everyday life. But, worrying excessively about things that do not seem very important are the symptoms of depression. These worries are often invasive and affect your thoughts and feelings even when you try your best to ignore them.

Feeling Restless or On Edge

Unexplained restlessness and tension is another common symptom of depression. And it can include a sense of impending doom or disaster. Sometimes restlessness is accompanied by fear or even panic.

These feelings of restlessness can be concentrated on a specific event or can be more dispersed. For example, loss of a job or a natural disaster. If you feel like you are constantly waiting for the worst things to happen, you may be suffering from depression.

Muscle Tension

Are you constantly tense and physically wound up?

Muscle tensioning is a physical symptom that often accompanies mental health issues. This constant muscle tension can leave you feeling sore and physically tired, even when you haven’t done any form of physical activity. This prolonged muscle tension can often be the reason for chronic pain and other recurring illnesses. Thus, it’s important to nip it in the bud before it becomes more severe.

Feelings of Worthlessness

People who are suffering from depression, often feel a sense of incompetence and low self-esteem. It may be a more general feeling or may be related to a specific field such as work, school or personal relationships. We go through periods of self-doubt and uncertainty in our life, and it’s common to feel worthless. However, if you suffer from depression, the symptoms are more intense and tend to remain unchanged, regardless of external factors.

Excessive Guilt

Excessive guilt is similar to feelings of worthlessness.  It is another common symptom of depression. When people suffer from depression, they feel guilty about things they have or haven’t done. They also often dwell on past actions to an unhealthy extent.

People can also feel guilty about their mental illness itself and the way it affects their lives. These feelings of guilt become more potent when the other common symptoms of depression compound it—for example, withdrawal from personal relationships and failure to fulfil responsibilities at work and school.

Excessive guilt of depression can be a vicious cycle for any people. So, it is very important to seek help before being caught in the spiral of excessive guilt depression.

Withdrawing from Family and Friends

People tend to withdraw from relationships with friends and family when suffering from depression. They also struggle to form new connections with others. When people suffer from depression, they can often feel like:

Lack of close relationships can also be another reason that leads people to depression. So, withdrawal from social interaction can worsen existing mental illness.

Reckless Behaviour

People do reckless things, including drug and alcohol abuse and unsafe sex, when they suffer from depression. This behaviour can also include risk-taking activities like reckless driving or getting into physical conflicts with others.

Reckless behaviours are often dangerous, and it is more common in men than women. It acts as a warning sign of mental health issues. If you find yourself drawn to reckless behaviours, you should seek help regardless of

Fatigue

Fatigue, lethargy, and constant tiredness is one of the most common symptoms of depression. If you find it challenging to get out of bed every morning or do anything other than the bare minimum, it can be a sign of depression.

These feelings of fatigue and tiredness can include both physical and emotional sensations. Fatigue can have a significant negative effect on your work and personal life. Chronic fatigue can often cause other medical problems. For example, it can cause autoimmune disorders and other issues. So, if you are suffering from fatigue, you should seek help from a professional.

Changes in Sleep Patterns

When people are in depression, their sleep patterns change significantly. It’s different for every person; some people sleep longer and some less than regular.

The first sleep-related sign is sleeping more than usual. This means you are getting much more sleep than you usually would. Another common sleep-related sign is sleeping less than normal. This means that you have trouble falling asleep or waking up earlier than usual.

If your sleeping pattern changes, then you will find it challenging to stay awake throughout the day. It’s pretty common to deal with disruptions in your sleep after a stressful or traumatic life event. But if these signs persist after a period, you may be dealing with a mental health problem.

It can also manifest as persistent difficulty in sleeping and even insomnia. The trouble with sleep can also have an extreme effect on the rest of your day, making it a significant symptom of depression.

Changes in Appetite

Another common sign of depression for men and women are significant changes in appetite. Overeating or eating less than usual is a sign of anxiety and depression.

When people suffer from it, they also suffer from other symptoms of depression, like restlessness or fatigue. Depression can also occur alongside eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia, or binge-eating. These combinations of beforehand disorder are very dangerous for your physical and mental health.

Anger and Irritability

Do you feel angry all the time, even without an apparent reason? Then you are suffering from another form of depression.

Anger and irritability are common symptoms of depression. The sign is especially common among men. These symptoms can often have a significant negative impact on your relationships with others, which makes it more challenging to seek help or get support from others when you need it most.

Trouble Concentrating

Another sign of anxiety and depression are trouble concentrating on things. When working or doing simple things, you are:

These are the signs of anxiety and depression. They can negatively affect work, school, and other areas of performance. Also, it makes it very hard for you to perform even basic daily activities. For example, you will find it very difficult to prepare foods or to do household chores.

Physical Pain

Depression and anxiety are considered mental illnesses. However, they often have persistent physical signs such as headaches, cramps, and muscle soreness. Sometimes the sign often accompanies other psychological symptoms.

So, if you’re in physical pain and can’t identify a clear reason behind it, then you might have an underlying mental illness.

Suicidal Ideation

Suicidal ideation is one of the most severe symptoms of mental health issues. Suicidal ideation can take the form of continuous suicidal thoughts or even plans to commit suicide. Suicide is the most significant cause of death for men under the age of 50. In England, about 6000 suicides were recorded in 2017, and 75% of them were male.

(Source: Mental Health Foundation)

If you have a suicidal thought, be sure to get in touch with a mental health professional as soon as possible. You can reach out to the National Healthcare Service (NHS)  Hotline online or call them at 116 123 (365 days a year).

Signs of depression in men

Recognising the depression signs is the first step toward recovery. Thus, it is important that you need to understand the symptoms of depression. It can help you find out if you and your loved ones are suffering from it.

Professionals have divided the signs of depression into three major groups. These groups are:

Behavioural signs of depression

The behavioural signs of depression in men and women are different. For example, men in depression often use an excessive amount of substances than women. They are also more likely to display anger attacks and risk-taking behaviour than women.

The following are the men behavioural signs in depression, they are:

When men suffer from depression, they often lose interest in hobbies and passions. They also feel less motivated in work or school, so the chance of succeeding at work decreases staggeringly.

When men suffer from depression, they often lose interest in hobbies and passions. They also feel less motivated in work or school, so the chance of succeeding at work decreases. Depression makes people less interested in having sex and also might reduce their sexual performance.