Who Gets Depression?

See also...

• Hypnotherapy to help with depression

• Types of depression

• The causes of depression

• Anxiety and depression

Depression in Men

Women experience depression about twice as often as men.  The possible reasons for this may include hormonal effects, including those associated with the menstrual cycle, menopausal changes, pregnancy, end of pregnancy (either through normal childbirth or miscarriage), postpartum depression (explained above).

As well as the potential hormonal influencing factors, women are also likely to be subject to the additional stresses associated with careers, in addition to those resulting from home life and childcare issues.

Depression in Men.

Although men are less likely to experience depression than women, they are also much less likely to admit to suffering from depression, and are also far less likely to seek help for it.

However, not seeking help for depression can bring its own problems.  The rate of suicide in men, for example, is around 400% of the rate for women.  Men with depression also have an increased incidence of death from coronary heart disease.

Men have a greater tendency to attempt to mask their feelings of depression, often turning to alcohol or drugs.

The feelings experienced by a man with depression are typically quite different to those experienced by a woman with depression, in that a man might feel angry, irritable, frustrated and dejected. 

Even the man who recognises and accepts his depression, is still far less likely than a woman to seek help.

Depression in the Elderly

Depression in the elderly can often be the cause of unnecessary suffering... unnecessary because it often goes untreated simply because it is seen by the friends and family of the sufferer (and often by the sufferer themselves) as a normal part of the aging process.

General practitioners may misdiagnose depression in the elderly.  This is mainly due to the fact that depression in the elderly can often present itself as a series of symptoms which are of a more physical nature...  lethargy, fatigue etc.

Those who do seek professional help and are correctly diagnosed, often go on to live more active and productive lives.

Depression in Children

While depression in children can be very hard to correctly diagnose, it is a very real problem.  It can be so hard to diagnose because as children develop, their behaviour naturally changes through the years, and the symptoms of depression can often be mistaken for 'just a phase (s)he's going through'.

Symptoms of depression in children may include irritability, negativity, sudden dislike of school, becoming reclusive, excessive 'clinging' to a parent, and the feeling that 'no-one understands' them.

In cases such as this, the child should, in the first instance, be referred to their doctor, to rule out any physical cause.

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