2023-10-19 10:16:11
In Western countries, men commit suicide three times more than women (read box below). These striking figures are only the visible part of mental health problems often minimized by men, who nevertheless resort to a psychologist half as often as women.
Depression: symptoms different from those of women
In a scientific publication devoted to men’s mental health published in 2016, John Ogrodniczuk, Canadian professor of psychiatry, is concerned about these high rates of male suicide which he describes as’”silent epidemic “difficult to identify because men express” particular way “their emotional conflicts. In the early stages of depression, for example, the irritability, anger, aggressiveness, risky behaviors (consumption of alcohol, drugs, dangerous driving) or a tendency to escape can mask more serious symptoms.typical ” such as sadness, crying or loss of appetite.
It is only recently that specialists have “started to recognize “that, in men, these types of signs can be early indicators of depression. Indeed, when these symptoms are taken into account”atypical “, depression is as frequently diagnosed in men as in women. However, many professionals continue to consider depression as an essentially female illness.
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Men represent 75% of suicides
Women have more suicidal thoughts and behaviors (2 to 4 times more attempts than men) but the latter have a rate of completed suicides 3.5 times higher.
In particular, they more frequently use more lethal means, such as hanging or firearms.
If you, or someone close to you, harbors these types of thoughts, call 3114, the suicide prevention line where a professional will provide you with the necessary support.
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Divorce, widowhood, quarantine: periods of risk
There are pivotal moments in men’s lives, such as a layoff, a breakup or the months following the arrival of a child (read box below “Baby blues, fathers too”) which expose them to more high risk of depression and suicidal acts. To the quarantinefor example, the Hospitalization Rates for Suicide Attempts Reach Peakand then decrease to rise again after 75 years
A phenomenon that Dr Jean-Claude Nataf was able to observe, who often notes in his widowed and elderly patients a “extreme loneliness “, often coupled with a alcohol consumption higher. However, as psychiatrist John Ogrodniczuk points out, one of the main problems that prevents men from benefiting from psychological care is their difficulty in asking for help. So, we all have a role to play in better spotting these first signs in our loved ones, in order to reach out to them.
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A testosterone that has a good back
When it comes to mental health too, stereotypes linked to masculinity seem to play a big role and “biological excuses ” have a good back. Testosterone, for example, has has long been wrongly presented as an alibi for aggressive behavior of certain men. We know today that its role is, in reality, more complex and that these behaviors result above all from a better acceptance, or even a valorization, among men, of anger or aggressiveness.
Dr. Nataf unfortunately sees “little development ” on this subject. Her male patients struggle to talk about their emotions and discuss intimate subjects: “It is often when they leave, on the doorstep, half-heartedly, that they talk about what really concerns them. However, this form of machismo complicates the discussion with the doctor. “If recent polls show that men still feel twice as ashamed as women when admitting to undergoing psychotherapyyounger generations express their emotions better, and consider sensitivity less as a negative trait.
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Baby blues: fathers too
Lack of sleep, feeling of suffocating under the weight of responsibilities: the baby blues would affect 5 to 10% of young fathers, especially those who had a difficult childhood or who believe their “before life” is completely over. Appearing in the first months after birththe “daddy blues” manifests itself through fatigueinsomnia, withdrawal and irritabilityparticularly in the face of daily actions related to the child and during which the father cane feeling “incapable” or “overwhelmed” ».
The daddy blues is a depression, generally temporary, but should not be minimized because it generates difficulty connecting with the child and arguments with the spouse. It can be taken care of by working on self-confidence or sessions with a psychotherapist.
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