Surviving and Thriving with Male Depression

Surviving and Thriving with Male Depression by Giovanni Hale

Male depression is a serious issue that often goes undiagnosed. This type of depression can harm the individual and those around him. This article will discuss the symptoms of male depression and ways to overcome it. If you or someone you know suffers from male depression, please seek help immediately. You are not alone.

Why should you listen to me? See if this thought feels familiar. Angry as hell about something you cannot even remember made you mad. You may not want to talk about the dark times, but I will say it for you. If you are as angry as I was, you thought of dark ways to cause harm. You want people and things to experience the pain you are feeling. You consider what suicide would feel like and how your family would deal with the thought of you taking your life.

My symptoms started shortly after I took a job I thought I would love. I started working that job and slowly noticed my mind shifting from "hey, I am all in" to "why am I here." I kept going to that job only to start to feel the anxiety in my body (that feeling of your body revving for no reason) beginning to take over.

I was drifting from day to day with no idea how I got from one place to the other. Soon I started not working out or even wanting to work out. I did not want to eat, not because I was not hungry. When I did eat, it was MASSIVE amounts of food, which I would later go and throw up.

Finally, I stopped wanting to have sex, take a shower or even be around my spouse. I just wanted to be alone in my pain. That lasted for two months. I finally felt like everyone, including my spouse, was out to get me, and the darkness began to come over me. I found myself considering would death be better than this pain.

How did I overcome my pain? Even while I was desperate to get out of my mental rut, I started talking to people. I said, "I am not ok and have considered killing myself." That statement changed my life and helped save my life. I was recommended to a therapist and started talking to him about how I felt. I told him the conversation would be dark and may scare him. He assured me, "let's walk into the darkness" I did, and I started taking his advice. Slowly I have started to feel like myself again.

I feel like 50% myself again. It is a slow process. Stick with it and know you are not alone.