Testosterone fuelled depression (part 1 of 3)

Part 1 - Do Christian men really get depression?

What do Job, David, Elijah, Jeremiah, and the apostle Paul all have in common? These men of God experienced mental and emotional anguish. How do we know it was depression they were going through? Well, although the term depression is not used as such in the Bible, the description of what these men went through fits the symptoms of what modern society now calls clinical depression.

Well let’s look closer. I’ve taken the liberty of selecting some scriptures that describe how they were feeling (from the NASB, with the references below). See if you can relate to any…

Ø Job “Why did I not die at birth… for my groaning comes at the sight of my food and my cries pour out like water…I am not at ease, nor am I quiet, and I am not at rest, turmoil comes… but the night continues, and I am continually tossing until dawn… my soul would choose suffocation, death rather than my pains. I waste away… leave me alone… I despise my life… I am a joke to my friends… my face is flushed from weeping, and deep darkness is on my eyelids… my spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, the grave is ready for me… where now is my hope?… behold, I go forward but He [God] is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive Him… I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer… I am seething within and cannot relax, days of affliction confront me, I go about mourning without comfort.” (Job 3:3,11,24,26;7:4,15,16;9:21:12:4;16:16;17:1,2,15;23:9;

    30:20,27,28)

Ø Jeremiah “My sorrow is beyond healing, my heart is faint within me… I am broken, I mourn, dismay has taken hold of me… I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it… cursed be the day when I was born, let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me… my soul has been rejected from peace; I have forgotten happiness… my strength has perished, and so has my hope from the Lord.” (Jeremiah 8:18,20,21:9;14; Lamentations 3:17,18)

Ø David “I am weary with my sighing, every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears, my eye has wasted away with grief… I am pining away, heal me, O Lord, for my bones are dismayed… and my soul is greatly dismayed…will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart all the day? … my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning… O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer and by night, but I have no rest… vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer… I am bent over and greatly bowed down… I go mourning all day long… I am  benumbed and badly crushed… I groan because of the agitation of my heart… my heart throbs, my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me, my loved ones and my friends stand aloof… hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry, do not be silent at my tears, for I am a stranger with You… my tears have been my food day and night…why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me… my heart is in anguish within me… I am so troubled that I cannot speak… do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress, incline your ear to me… my heart has been smitten like grass and has withered away, indeed, I forget to eat my bread, because of the loudness of my groaning… my bones cling to my flesh, I lie awake, I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop… the cords of death encompassed me and the terrors of Sheol came upon me, I found distress and sorrow” (Psalm 6:2,3,6,7;13;1,2;22:2;32:4; 38:6,8,10,11;39:12;42:3,5;55:4;77:4;102,2-7;116:3)

Ø Elijah “But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers’.” (1kings 19:4)

Some believe that even Jesus experienced a form of depression. He certainly did suffer deep emotional pain. Luke 22:41 states,“And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.” That’s pretty intense. In Mathew 26:38 He says, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death.” So whether you agree that He suffered depression or not its obvious He did experience very strong emotional agony.

Now, its seems that David’s depression was a result of sin and Job’s was a reaction to circumstances and you could probably say that Elijah’s was because of stress or fear. But whatever the reason, these were recognised men of God. And they suffered, some for quite a length of time, depression.

I’m not a man (obviously!), and I’m not trying to be an authority on men’s depression, but in my research for my book, I’ve seen that there is not much info out there on the topic, especially in relation to Christian men, so I thought I’d put together some of what I’ve found, and present it here….

First we’ll look at how depression actually affects men (yes, its different to us women), and some stats, then the 2^nd part (next blog post) will cover the spiritual aspects  and finally 3^rd part will look at how to help yourself or support a loved male in your life.

What does male depression look like?

Male depression is actually widespread, but very misunderstood and often misdiagnosed as men tend to have differing symptoms to women. It has been said that women feel their depression while men act it. Men are more likely to recognise and describe the physical symptoms of depression (such as feeling tired or weight issues) than women. Women will tend to be deeply sad and have extreme feelings of low self worth.  Its not that men don’t actually have these feelings, but they tend to cover them by negative behaviour.  Their reaction to them is to withdraw, become irritable, moody and over-reactive. They are also more inclined  to ‘act out’ by  risk  taking,  driving  fast  and  abusing  alcohol and other drugs. These help to distract from their mood and are used as a mask to cover their depression.

Other masks for male depression are overwork, which can then becomes a cause and effect situation and also sex. Sex loses its expression of intimacy (the last thing a depressed male wants is to connect in any intimate way), but may still provide some pleasurable release from their low mood. Although the depressed male may becomes cold and indifferent to his wife, he may still want sex. Men often use these ‘masking’ actions to sub-consciously self medicate.

The symptoms of depression have almost become feminized which is probably why women are diagnosed at double the rate of men and why depression is often seen as a women’s weakness. Even the testing for depression generally still focuses on the emotional side, but men are better diagnosed by looking at their behaviour. If a man suddenly becomes angry, frustrated easily or hostile, the possibility of depression should be investigated. Interestingly, a recent study which included male-type symptoms of depression (anger, aggression, substance abuse, risk taking) as well as the traditional symptoms of depression found that depression was in almost equal gender proportions. As the good doctor says “Saying only women and weak men can get depression and anxiety, is like saying only smokers can get cancer and only men with accents can seduce beautiful women.” (http://mantherapy.org.au)

In general, men tend to put off getting any kind of help because they think they are supposed to be tough, self-reliant, able to manage pain and take charge of situations. I believe this is made worse in Christian circles as a man is seen as the head of the home and ‘in control’, but we will examine this in part 2 when we look at spirituality and male depression. This male stereotyping can make it hard for men to acknowledge that they have any health problems, let alone a mental health problem. Sometimes they (yes Christian men too) turn to alcohol or drugs to help cope with/self-medicate their issues, which actually makes their depression, anxiety and anger worse

Below is a chart showing typical male symptoms of depression (http://mantherapy.org.au)

Male depression symptoms Physical Emotional Persistent pain Feeling guilty Loss of energy Feeling angry and violent Loss of sex drive Losing interest in hobbies Changes in appetite Apathy, flat, empty mood Lethargy Feeling sad or nervous Exhaustion Feeling alone Change in sleep patterns Taking unnecessary risks Restlessness Thinking about death or suicide Alcohol or drug abuse Feeling hopeless, worthless, a failure Difficulty concentrating Increased anxiety Difficulty in making decisions

Causes
There are several factors which may contribute to/trigger depression in men. They may include one or more of the following:

Ø Men with a family history of depression are more likely to develop it. This is sometimes called a pre-disposition to depression. It does not automatically mean they will get depression, but when combined with other factors it may be more likely.

Ø Brain chemistry and hormones. Studies have shown that there are some things which can actually change the chemistry and structure of the brain, for example hormones and individual experiences. The brains of people with depression actually look different on scans than those without.

Ø Childhood/life experiences. Children that come from an abusive background do tend to suffer from depression more.

Ø Personality. Studies have shown that some personality types are more prone to depression. The most susceptible are those that have a high level of: anxiety/worrying; social avoidance; irritability; personal reserve; self criticism; perfectionism; sensitivity to rejection; and are self focused.

Ø Stress. This may include physical health problems, relationship or employment problems, social isolation, significant changes in living arrangements, a partner’s pregnancy or birth of a baby.

Ø Abuse of drugs and/or alcohol

Ø Some medical conditions will have depression as a symptom, which is why its important to be in communication with your GP.

Ø Spiritual. There can be a spiritual aspect to developing depression, although it is rarely the singular cause.

Most of the time it is a combination of some of these factors. If the depression is caused by stress (sometimes also called situational or non-melancholic) it will often be of shorter duration and of lower intensity than a depression caused by chemical imbalances (sometimes also called biological or melancholic). Situational depression may become biological depression, especially if other factors are present.

Usually situational depression is best helped by some form of talk therapy (counselling), while biological depression may need a combination of medications and talk therapy. If you feel after reading this that you may be prone to developing depression there is a lot you can do to prevent it. Talking with a counsellor and using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy are good ways to start. There will be more on treatments available in part 3 of this blog.

Anger & rage
Because anger often features strongly in male depression lets have a bit of a look at it. Anger is part of the body’s physiological reaction to perceived danger. It is involved in motivating to take action to escape or to confront a bad situation. Anger like this is considered normal, but when anger is triggered by something other than ‘danger’ it is often called rage and it is a sign that something’s wrong.

Like some of the other depression masking activities anger can also become addictive.  This is because when you get angry your brain releases certain chemicals into the bloodstream which gives you a boost to get through a dangerous situation. This can be as intoxicating as some drugs.

Below is a chart showing some symptoms of rage (http://mantherapy.org.au) If you are experiencing some of these it would be advisable to explore the possibility of depression with a medical expert.

Symptoms of rage
Physical	Emotional
Pounding heart	Violent impulses
Muscle tension	Inability to face reality
Accelerated heartbeat	Jealousy and resentfulness
Changes in breathing	Low frustration tolerance
Body trembles	Loss of control over trivial issues
Goose-bumps	Suicidal tendencies
Flushed face	Melancholy and depression
Clenched fists	Dominating behaviour
	Unreasonable expectations

Some interesting statistics

Ø Approximately 2/3 more women are diagnosed with depression than men.

Ø 7.1% of women compared to 5.3% of men, are more likely to report experiencing mood disorders.

Ø Depression is most prevalent for males in the 35-44 age group, while for women they are more prevalent in the 25-34 age group.

Ø Depression is a high risk factor for suicide. In Australia, there are approximately 2,200 suicides each year. 80% are by men – with an average of 5 men taking their lives every single day.

Ø Attempted suicide is also an important issue with estimates that in Australia over 60,000 people a year attempt to take their own lives, the majority being women.

Ø Suicide is the leading cause of death for men under the age of 44. Nearly twice as many men will die by suicide in Australia than die on our roads

Ø 6 people die by suicide daily in Australia…5 men 1 woman, 30 attempt it daily

Ø The World Health Organisation reports that death from suicide accounts for more fatalities than either from armed conflicts globally or the number of people dying from traffic accidents.

Suicide

As with any other part of the body, when the brain is not functioning properly, it can lead to some life-threatening consequences. The intense, powerful and sometimes overwhelming thoughts of severe depression may lead to ideas of suicide. Even in Christian men. How is this possible when as Christians we are supposed to have joy and hope in God?  …good question and I’ll explore that in part 2.

More women attempt suicide, but more men actually succeed. This is in part because they use more violent means. Unfortunately while men are at greatest risk of suicide they are least likely to seek help.

Prevention and understanding of suicide is an area that the church in general is lacking. In the past it has been particularly judgmental of people who are suicidal. Even in this day and age, I’ve talked to some Christians who believe a born-again Christian will not go to heaven if they commit suicide! I will also touch on this in the next section on spirituality and depression.

If you are feeling like you are at risk of taking action on ending your life, or if you have a loved one that you feel may be in this situation there are places available 24 hours, 7 days a week that you can ring for crisis help:

• Life line crisis support - 13 11 14  
• Suicide Prevention Foundation - 1800 HOLDON (1800 465 366)  
• Suicide Callback 1300 659 467

You can also call or visit the emergency department of any hospital in Australia.

If you are or you know of a loved one who is, having thoughts of wanting to die, take this as a serious sign that you/they need help. Please go to your GP or mental health practitioner sooner rather than later.

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Next post will be out in a week or so and is on the spiritual aspects of depression in relation to men…please feel free to give feedback in the comments section or via email

ruthch31@gmail.com.

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I’m not a trained professional.

I have just gathered information from reputable sources and presented it here.  Its not meant as specific advice for individuals.

Please, if any of this resonates with you seek professional help.

If you want information on how to do that please email me…ruthch31@gmail.com