Gender-sensitive recommendations for assessment and treatment of depression in men.

Abstract

Psychologists increasingly recognize depression as a serious, albeit often undiagnosed, condition in men. In fact, undiagnosed and untreated depression in men may be one reason why many more men than women commit suicide. However, because of cultural conditioning that discourages expression of depressed mood in men, assessment as well as treatment of depression in men are sometimes difficult. Use of gender-sensitive assessment strategies and interventions will assure that more men will be identified and treated for depression. This article integrates scientific findings related to depression in men with specific gender-sensitive assessment and psychotherapeutic intervention strategies designed to enhance psychologists' skills in working with this significant problem in men.Historically, clinicians as well as scientists have believed that men, in contrast to women, are protected from depression. Rates of mental disorders as well as hospital and outpatient census figures have tended to support this viewpoint (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1995;Robins & Reiger, 1991). However, because large numbers of men suffer from problems closely related to depression, such as alcohol and drug abuse (Hanna & Grant, 1997), and because suicide rates in men continue to be alarmingly high (Moscicki, 1997), many men who are depressed remain unidentified, undiagnosed, and untreated. Furthermore, because fewer men than women seek help for psychological problems (Vessey & Howard, 1993), untreated depression may ultimately diminish the quality of life and psychosocial adjustment for many men.In response to these concerns, recent popular (e.g., Lynch &

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