Anti Depression Medication - Men Vs Women

Women get depressed, not men! False! We know that more women suffer from depression but there are many men who suffer from this condition too although very often they hide it. That actual figure is that out of 14 million Americans who suffer from depression in a year, about 6 million of these are men. The alarming fact is that there are very probably more men than women who are plagued by this condition but it is so well concealed that nobody knows for sure. Another alarming issue is that only about 50% of patients seek out help and treatment such as anti depression medication.

Men's depression symptoms can be different from women's. There can be anger and this can manifest itself in very bad temper and road rage when driving. There may also be an increase in impulsive risky behavior such as casual sex or indulging in gambling or extreme sports. They can also be extremely touchy and over sensitive to criticism. Because of shame, low esteem and the feeling that men have to show strength, the condition often goes undiagnosed and sometimes men will turn to drugs and alcohol rather than take anti depression medication.

While most depression symptoms are common to both sexes, women will probably feel more the symptoms relating to feeling empty, weepiness and a sense of hopelessness and reduced sex drive. There may be more suicide attempts among women as well.

The side effects of anti depression medication will not usually discriminate between the sexes but there are certain tendencies which are peculiar to either sex. Women tend to be more concerned about their
societal body-image goals so if weight gain is one of the side effects, this may determine whether they continue with that depression medication or not.

As regards reduced sex drive, men seem to suffer more from the side effects of the SSRIs, the most popular type of anti depression medication, as they may have have problems with reaching orgasm and low libido. Women seem to have already a low sex drive when starting out as this is one of the devastating effects of the condition itself. This therefore leaves a lot of room for improvement which may be the reason why this seems less of a problem for women.

As regards a herbal treatment for depression, the problem of a reduced libido for either sex never arises as the side effects are very mild such as headache and some nausea and oversensitivity to bright light. There are also no other troublesome side effects or risks of getting addicted to depression medication not to mention the risks associated with discontinuation syndrome when and if you have to come off anti depression medication. Herbal remedies for depression are a much safer option all round.

By: William Locke

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Want to learn more about anti depression medication ? Robert Locke has written extensively on Mental Health for many years.