"Tough guy" mentality prevents some men from seeking help for depression
Although great strides have been
made in the public's awareness of
depression, there is a lingering
stigma about the disease. Depressed
men are particularly reluctant to
seek help due to gender norms that
depict men as tough and
autonomous. Researchers recently explored how
"toughness" in both men and
women contributes to a delay in
getting professional treatment for
depression. They found men who
perceived themselves as being tough
preferred a wait-and-see approach
to a diagnosis of depression. The
gender norm of toughness also
negatively affected how women
seek out treatment, although to a
lesser degree.
A total of 1,051 men and women
were contacted via telephone
following their participation in the
California Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance System Survey. In the
follow-up call, participants were
asked about their level of toughness,
any current symptoms of
depression, and the types of
treatment they would prefer if
diagnosed with depression. Overall, 11 percent of respondents
said they would prefer to wait and
see what happens without seeking
treatment if they received a
depression diagnosis. Compared to
women, men scored higher on
toughness and were more likely to
wait and see if symptoms resolved
on their own. However, this
toughness trait was associated with
a greater preference to wait it out
for both men and women.
The
researchers suggest that public
education campaigns portray
seeking help as an act of toughness
and as an aggressive act of taking
control of one's life. Such reframing
of messages may help both
depressed men and women get the
help they need. The study was
supported in part by the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality
(T32 HS00044).
See "Role of the gender-linked
norm of toughness in the decision to
engage in treatment for depression,"
by Ryan E. O'Loughlin, Ph.D., Paul
R. Duberstein, Ph.D., Peter J.
Veazie, Ph.D., and others in
Psychiatric Services 62(7), pp. 740-746, 2011.
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