When men have depression, it’s more than processing feeling a little blue.

In reality, men dealing with depression feel like they are carrying a crushing burden.

While they understand that something is wrong inside, they often keep their emotions locked deep down.

This can have tragic consequences. In fact, suicide is the 7th most common cause of death for men in the United States.

Why does this happen?

The reality is that there are painful reasons why depression is so much harder for men.

The Challenges Men Face with Depression

Heavy Burden

Men who experience depression report that it feels like there is a great weight on them. This burden makes it virtually impossible for them to do things that they like to do. And often, these are the same activities that can actually help them cope with the problem.

For example, exercise and physical activity have been proven to help improve mood and are positive ways of dealing with depression. Yet, even for extremely fit athletes, when they have depression, these men just feel weighed down and paralyzed.

Lack of Energy

The great burden of depression also brings with it an incredible lack of energy. It’s not that these men are lazy—not in a long shot. The problem is that they simply can’t muster the energy to do anything.

For those men who are typically very active, lacking energy only adds to the crushing weight of depression. It reinforces for them all of those negative feelings that they hold inside.

Sadness and Low Self-Worth

For whatever reason, whether it stems from a traumatic event or experiences in childhood, men dealing with depression often feel incredible sadness and low self-worth.

It’s important to note that these are not temporary feelings. After all, everyone has periods where they feel sad. Rather, these feelings are carried by depressed men all the time, at all hours of the day and night. It’s not something that they can simply shake off.

Why Men Struggle When Dealing with Depression

The real reason why men struggle so much when dealing with depression is they often hold this belief that they need to handle it on their own. And there is this expectation among men not to show any emotions at all.

Men in our society have been taught to believe these things. Thus, when they have an emotional problem like depression, they don’t seek out the tools to adequately cope. Also, they become very good at hiding their emotions.

Interestingly, this is one reason why women are often diagnosed more often with depression than men. Men simply don’t look for help!

So what happens to those bottled up emotions? They come out sideways in the form of anger, bitterness, and resentment. This can affect both a man’s professional and personal lives in ways that only amplifies the depression.

What’s the Solution for Depression in Men?

If you know a man who is struggling with depression, the first step is to be supportive of them. Of course, here’s the problem. As noted above, a man who is dealing with depression is not very likely to get help on their own.

What can you do?

First, they need to feel that they are supported and won’t’ be judged for talking about their emotions. Hence, let them know you care about them and their well-being.

Next, gently but firmly encourage them to seek professional help. Seeing a therapist for counseling and, at the same time, getting a prescription for antidepressants from a medical provider can be very effective against depression.

Many men, though, will need someone in their corner to help them with this journey. However, with the help of a loved one or a friend and proper treatment, it is possible for them to recover from depression and get back their lives.

If you would like to know more about treatments for depression, please click HERE.