Depression and Mood

Depression is more than a bad day or a rough week. It's a persistent low mood or loss of interest in things that once mattered, lasting weeks or longer, and unlike ordinary low periods it doesn't simply lift on its own. It can pull you away from the people you love, drain the enjoyment out of daily life, and settle into a sense of hopelessness. It doesn't discriminate by age.

But for many men, depression doesn't look like sadness at all. It often shows up as anger, irritability, stress, risk-taking, or emotional shutdown. Because these signs don't fit the familiar picture of depression, many men go undiagnosed and unsupported. Recognising male-type depression is the first step toward changing that.

  • MDD is marked by extended periods of intense sadness, hopelessness, and a loss of interest in activities that once brought pleasure. These episodes can last weeks or even months and significantly impact our daily functioning. Symptoms include:

    • Feeling bad about yourself  

    • Changes in sleep patterns

    • Changes in appetite or weight

    • Feeling overwhelmed by pessimism, anger, guilt, irritability, and anxiety

    • Varying emotions throughout the day – for example, feeling worse in the morning and better as the day progresses

    • Reduced or lack of enjoyment of previously enjoyed activities

    • Reduced interest in sex

    • Reduced pain tolerance

    • Poor concentration and memory

    • Low motivation to do things that used to matter to you

    • Feeling exhausted

  • Dysthymia is a chronic, long-lasting form of depression where symptoms are less severe but stretch over a much longer period, often two years or more. While people with dysthymia may not feel as intensely sad as those with MDD, they experience a constant low mood that can affect daily life for years.Some people with health anxiety have a medical condition which they worry about excessively while others have medically unexplained symptoms. Others may just be persistently worried about their future health.

  • Bipolar Disorder: Many don’t correlate bipolar disorder with depression, but it’s a condition characterised by extreme mood swings, where episodes of depression are followed by periods of mania or elevated mood. During depressive phases, individuals experience all the typical signs of depression, while during manic episodes, they may feel overly energetic, restless, or even irritable.

    ‍

  • SAD typically occurs during the colder months when there’s less natural sunlight. People with SAD often feel more fatigued, experience mood swings, and can struggle with feelings of hopelessness, but their symptoms tend to improve as the seasons change and light increases.