Fetterman's hospitalization for depression may help reduce stigma ... - APA Psychology News

Why do men seek mental health treatment less than women?

Decades of research shows that men are far less likely to seek help for mental health difficulties. Some researchers and clinicians are coming to think that the traditional signs of depression, which include persistent sadness, feelings of worthlessness, and a loss of interest in hobbies may not represent many men's experience of a depressive period. Although research is just beginning to support the idea of a "male-based depression," it is possible that men may instead express their depression in terms of increases in fatigue, irritability, and anger. Research has also suggested that men are more prone to addictive behaviors, particularly alcohol dependence/abuse and substance use disorder, which can mask the signs of depression, making it harder to detect and treat effectively.

In 2019, APA issued new Guidelines for Psychological Practice With Boys and Men to recognize and address these concerns in boys and men. Thirteen years in the making, they draw on more than 40 years of research showing that socializing boys to suppress their emotions may cause damage that echoes both inwardly and outwardly.

"Several lines of research evidence suggest that men and boys face a double-bind when it comes to mental health problems," said Ryon McDermott, PhD, president of APA's Division 51 (Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinities). He noted that specifically, males suffer in silence when they internalize restrictive gender roles that prohibit psychological help-seeking because it is seen as weak or "unmanly."  Therefore, some males are constricted in their ability to cope with psychological distress, and this further exacerbates their problems.

"The fact that Sen. Fetterman has checked himself into a hospital is encouraging," McDermott said. "Hopefully, his courage can be a signal to other men that sometimes we need psychological help, and you don't have to suffer in silence."

What does depression look like?

Major depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in the United States. An estimated 21 million adults, approximately 8.4% of U.S. adults, experienced at least one major depressive episode in 2020, according to data from the National Institute of Mental Health.

While everyone experiences sadness at times, depression is something more. Depression is extreme sadness or despair that lasts more than days. It interferes with the activities of daily life and can cause physical symptoms such as pain, weight loss or gain, sleeping pattern disruptions, or lack of energy.

People with depression may also experience an inability to concentrate, feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.

Depression is the most common mental disorder. Fortunately, depression is treatable. A combination of therapy and antidepressant medication can help ensure recovery.

While most people experiencing depression are treated on an outpatient basis, in cases of severe or treatment-resistant depression, a short hospital stay may be needed to help them recover in a safe and stable environment. Being hospitalized for depression can help ensure that the patient will have an easier time receiving any physical care they may need to deal with their depression's effects. It also gives health care professionals a better opportunity to work out medication possibilities and dosages, which can be difficult when a patient is also undergoing treatment for physical symptoms. In addition, some therapies for depression can only be carried out in a hospital setting and may be needed if other treatments have not been effective.

How can psychologists help with depression among those with chronic illnesses?

There are three subsets of psychologists who specialize in working with patients experiencing medical issues, to help them deal with mental health concerns: rehabilitation psychologists, health psychologists, and neuropsychologists.

These psychologists often work as part of integrated care teams within hospital settings, working in tandem with physicians, nurses, psychiatrists, and other care providers to diagnose physical and psychological health problems, plan and provide treatment, and evaluate whether that treatment is effective, said Lynn Bufka, PhD, APA's associate chief for practice transformation.

"Psychologists are well suited to not only recognize individual factors impacting patient well-being but can identify familial and systemic patterns that contribute to patient problems," Bufka said. "Psychologists can then recommend or implement interventions or work with others on the care team to address these factors."

As a rehabilitation psychologist specializing in patients with multiple sclerosis, Beier said one of the biggest things she works on with newly diagnosed patients is the adjustment to living with a chronic illness. She will often start by discussing with the patient how their new diagnosis has impacted their everyday life and changed the life trajectory they expected.

"One of the things I really focus on is figuring out what someone's values are–what has always been important to them and what's still important to then, and how they can modify life so that those values can still be lived out, even if it looks different than they planned," she said. For example, if a patient has lost cognitive functioning and that has impacted their ability to hold a high-level job, but helping others is what brought meaning to their career, she works with them to figure out how they can still help others even if they are not in that same position.

"This doesn't mean that they don't still have grief around the fact that they have lost their job because of that illness, but we really focus on managing the grief and also figuring out how to live life and those values another way," she said.

It's also important that patients are made aware that depression is much more common among those with chronic illnesses.

"It's helpful for patients to know that depression is not some sort of failing, and that it could be the medical condition itself that is triggering some of these emotions," Beier said. "Then it feels a little less like, 'If I just got myself together, I could handle this' and takes some of the pressure off of one's ability to control their emotions if they understand that part of this might just be the condition itself."

She also added that the earlier that people seek treatment—even if they're not having intense symptoms of depression—the better able they will be to learn coping or adjustment strategies.

"If we can catch people right when they're diagnosed and talk about some of the things they might experience and then give some ideas for how they might handle that if it shows up, then they have tools in their toolbelt and they aren't surprised by it and it rocks their world less," she said.

Adblock test (Why?)