6 Symptoms of Depression in Young Men
For young men, identifying symptoms of depression can be tricky. Perhaps you’ve been struggling to keep up with your usual responsibilities for a while now. Whether these difficulties started with a particular setback or not, you’re starting to wonder if you might be depressed. Or maybe you’ve noticed that your son, nephew, or another young man in your life seems to be having trouble with their mental health. Yet you keep questioning your assumptions because their symptoms don’t match the typical “picture” of depression.
Lots of young men with depression go undiagnosed because they and their loved ones don’t necessarily realize that their symptoms are actually indicative of a mental health issue. Here are six common signs of depression in young men.
1. Anger or Irritability
Often, young men with depression are more likely to come across as angry, frustrated, and easily irritated rather than sad or emotionally numb. Men are socialized to suppress their sadness. But this does not cause these feelings to simply disappear. Instead, after bottling up their emotions, they can eventually give in to angry outbursts that provide temporary relief.
2. Lack of Motivation
A lack of motivation and a loss of interest in previous hobbies and interests can be a sneaky manifestation of depression. It’s particularly widespread in young men with depression, and if this symptom worsens, the issue can go much further than giving up old interests. Young men who lack motivation due to depression may struggle to work up the energy to look for a job, complete college coursework, or pursue other paths to employment like apprenticeships.
3. Social Isolation
Young men can end up struggling to maintain strong social networks after high school or college. It can be hard for young men to allow themselves to be vulnerable, out of fear of being seen as weak. Yet an unwillingness to be vulnerable creates an obstacle to forming deep friendships and prevents young men from fostering genuine connections with others. When they struggle with their mental health, they have very few people to lean on. Additionally, depression itself gets in the way of building new friendships.
4. Risky Behaviors
In order to find relief from their symptoms, young men with depression are more likely to engage in risky behaviors. They may turn to substances to numb themselves temporarily. They might also try activities like gambling. The risks inherent to these behaviors do not necessarily have a deterring effect. A young man who does not believe that their future will look better than their present is likely to ignore those risks.
5. Escapism
Instead of trying to process their feelings outright, young men with depression might spend a disproportionate amount of their time on escapist activities that do not actually help them feel better and may exacerbate their symptoms. This could include playing video games, binge-watching TV, or spending long hours online each day.
6. Physical Symptoms
Depression does not solely affect one’s mental health. It can also have highly detrimental effects on an individual’s physical health. Young men with depression might not make the effort to keep up with healthy habits. The stress that accompanies depression itself can also cause physical symptoms. They might struggle with weight gain, headaches, and muscle aches and pains. Additionally, lots of young men with depression experience disrupted sleep cycles. They may sleep too much, struggle to fall asleep, or wake up repeatedly throughout the night, leaving them exhausted the next day.
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Are you concerned that you or someone you love might be struggling with depression? Therapy can help the healing process. Reach out to us to learn more about our depression counseling services.