Men and Mental Health

Women an Men not only differ in their Physical make-up but greatly differ in their Psychological Makeup. The patterns of mental distress found in women are also highly different from the patterns in women. Women generally tend to Internalize their Problems while Men are Externalizers.

The way your brain is biologically wired is actually different from a woman. Hence, You deal with relationships, express emotions and react to stress differently.

These factors are both the Cause and Effect of the particular mental illnesses described below:

Addiction Or Substance Abuse

According to statistics, its 3 to 1 in comparison to women. Research suggests that men often turn to substance abuse as a response to the major life stressors of Unemployment and Divorce. Also, Men often have more negative outcomes in the Family courts as the custody of children is mostly with the mother. The visitation rights of the Men is also very restrictive which is a soul-destroying condition. Men become very isolated from the society in both these conditions of financial instability and failure of a relationship.

Depression & Suicide

Consistent exposure to stress and sadness results in Depression but at certain times it could also be a chemical change in brain chemistry. As a result of the above conditions in male, a major endemic that has come to surface is of suicide.  The suicide rates in India has risen from 7.9 % in 1987 to 11 % now. The ratio of Men to Women in the population is 2 to 1. Men do not address the problem and try to solve, but generally, tend to defer the problem and their emotions too. They more often share good times with their peers instead of the bad experiences as they have a tendency to be strong in all situations. In attempting to remain rock-solid and strong, they tend to ignore their feelings and hence often take the route to end their lives.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

This disorder is also one of the disorders more common in men. Younger Males are more likely to suffer from this Disorder among the Population of men. OCD maybe commonly termed as an excessive amount of Fear and anxiety associated with anything. People with OCD have a fear that is related to a specific thing or an event. In Normal condition, if you have a fear that you have left the doors or window open; you would go back and lock the same and forget about it. But a person suffering from OCD needs to recheck the doors and windows several times to be able to feel relieved

Undifferentiated Schizophrenia

In this you will experience a range of symptoms including Hallucinations,delusions,lack of focus,speech disorganization and an abnormality of movement and behavior that is caused by your disturbed mental state. This cause of this disorder can be rooted in the environment, genes or a chemical imbalance in the brain. Research shows that Men are 1.4 times more prone to suffer than women.

Bipolar Disorder

In this disorder, you may experience sudden and extreme changes in mood. It might switch from sudden unnatural happiness without any reason to extremely sad or depressed state. Men suffer more from this disorder than Women. An episode of extreme elation also known as hypomania, you will experience fast thoughts, excessive physical activity, reckless activities including sex and spending etc. Conversely, during a Depressive episode, you will have very low energy, feel sad and empty, be tired all the time, and have suicidal thoughts or thoughts of death

If you or any  person near you suffers from any of these conditions,visit an expert. Help is always near you.