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Men experience sadness, too – emotions are not only for the fairer sex, says a top Cleveland Clinic specialist

Thu, Nov 30th 2023, 06:18 PM
Health

A top doctor at a leading U.S. hospital said he is seeing an increase in both anxiety disorder and stress in men, noting that women do not have a stranglehold on the blues.

Dr. Matthew Goldman, a board-certified family medicine specialist at Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston Hospital, said while men and women both suffer depression and anxiety, how they exhibit it can differ dramatically.

“Men are more likely to exhibit anger or irritability,” said Dr. Goldman, adding that they may not want to engage in social activities, attend family events, are more likely to engage in risky behavior, either sexual or substance abuse.

Dr. Goldman, who also holds two professorships, one in Florida, another in Ohio, distinguished between stress-induced anxiety and general depression.

Stress is a response to a specific external challenge and usually resolves once the situation is over, while anxiety and depression are less likely to vanish when the stressor disappears, or the challenge has been met.

“Anxiety is a mental health condition characterized by excessive, persistent worry and fear,” he explained. “Common symptoms include feeling restless, having trouble concentrating, a rapid heart rate, trouble with sleeping.” Women may experience similar symptoms when anxious. “In men, anxiety is more likely to manifest as irritability, substance abuse, or avoidance behaviors.”

“Anxiety is a sustained mental health condition that can occur even without an external stressor,” he explained.

If the clinical definition of depression is a serious mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities, the road to recovery can often be found in simply venting, talking it over in a group environment or seeking one-on-one counseling. In some cases, it’s the patient getting involved in a cause that is “bigger than themselves,” providing an avenue to focus outward instead of solely on themselves. There are workbooks available for those who would rather work through a problem at their own pace and without interaction.

One of the contributors to depression in older men, he said, is lower testosterone causing a diminished sex drive, low libido, or erectile dysfunction, as well as something that women suffer

– thinning of the bones leading to osteoporosis. For younger men, the greatest fear is the inability to produce healthy and sufficient sperm to impregnate, the fear of not being able to father a child after a certain age leading to both depression and anxiety and to possible risky behaviors that only make the situation worse.

Given the high rate of Bahamian men getting annual physicals through Cleveland Clinic Florida’s Executive Health department, Dr. Goldman suggests being honest with physicians about worries, stress level, concerns with testosterone, possible infertility, or depression, especially if there is any evidence of pre-diabetes or diabetes.

Mental health is, he says, a major contributor to overall well-being, but mental health is something that may be far easier to tackle once the patient faces the truth – and that may be the first step in the road to less anxiety and a happier state of being. 

A top doctor at a leading U.S. hospital said he is seeing an increase in both anxiety disorder and stress in men, noting that women do not have a stranglehold on the blues.
Dr. Matthew Goldman, a board-certified family medicine specialist at Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston Hospital, said while men and women both suffer depression and anxiety, how they exhibit it can differ dramatically.
“Men are more likely to exhibit anger or irritability,” said Dr. Goldman, adding that they may not want to engage in social activities, attend family events, are more likely to engage in risky behavior, either sexual or substance abuse.
Dr. Goldman, who also holds two professorships, one in Florida, another in Ohio, distinguished between stress-induced anxiety and general depression.
Stress is a response to a specific external challenge and usually resolves once the situation is over, while anxiety and depression are less likely to vanish when the stressor disappears, or the challenge has been met.
“Anxiety is a mental health condition characterized by excessive, persistent worry and fear,” he explained. “Common symptoms include feeling restless, having trouble concentrating, a rapid heart rate, trouble with sleeping.” Women may experience similar symptoms when anxious. “In men, anxiety is more likely to manifest as irritability, substance abuse, or avoidance behaviors.”
“Anxiety is a sustained mental health condition that can occur even without an external stressor,” he explained.
If the clinical definition of depression is a serious mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities, the road to recovery can often be found in simply venting, talking it over in a group environment or seeking one-on-one counseling. In some cases, it’s the patient getting involved in a cause that is “bigger than themselves,” providing an avenue to focus outward instead of solely on themselves. There are workbooks available for those who would rather work through a problem at their own pace and without interaction.
One of the contributors to depression in older men, he said, is lower testosterone causing a diminished sex drive, low libido, or erectile dysfunction, as well as something that women suffer
– thinning of the bones leading to osteoporosis. For younger men, the greatest fear is the inability to produce healthy and sufficient sperm to impregnate, the fear of not being able to father a child after a certain age leading to both depression and anxiety and to possible risky behaviors that only make the situation worse.
Given the high rate of Bahamian men getting annual physicals through Cleveland Clinic Florida’s Executive Health department, Dr. Goldman suggests being honest with physicians about worries, stress level, concerns with testosterone, possible infertility, or depression, especially if there is any evidence of pre-diabetes or diabetes.
Mental health is, he says, a major contributor to overall well-being, but mental health is something that may be far easier to tackle once the patient faces the truth – and that may be the first step in the road to less anxiety and a happier state of being. 
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