“Depression remains the ‘under’ disease: under-diagnosed, under-discussed, and under-treated for everyone, but especially for men,” says John Greden, M.D., executive director of the University of Michigan Depression Center. Men with depression often present with different clinical symptoms and a tendency to focus on physical rather 
than emotional ailments—for example, fatigue, physical pain and sleep problems. Thus, different screening and diagnostic strategies may be required for accurate diagnosis.
Specialists at the University of Louisville Depression Center, including Jesse H. Wright, M.D., Ph.D., David Casey, M.D., and Gordon Strauss, M.D. provide customized treatment to men who suffer from depression and related problems.
Sometime it is difficult for men to open up and engage in therapy for depression. However, the practical features of cognitive-behavior therapy often are very appealing to men who have an interest in learning skills for managing depression, anxiety, and other symptoms. The Chemical Dependency Program at the U of L Depression Center also can offer much needed help to men who have alcohol or drug problems that are coexisting with depression. Although depression is more common in women than men, it does occur in over 6 million men in the United States. The U of L Depression Center has a goal of reaching out to men who experience depression and to offer them the help they need. To find out more about the problem of depression in men, you can read the article “Real Men, Real Depression” supplied by the National Institute of Mental Health.
Real Stories about Men and Depression. (NIMH)
Adapted with permission from the University of Michigan Depression Center Web site.
