We should stop using a mannequin to treat men’s mental health

4 days ago

1 3 minutes read

The crisis of masculinity is real. Men make up 49% of the population but approx 80% of suicides. every 13.7 minutes a The man takes his life Somewhere in the American depression is present at least 50% Of these suicides, according to the Canadian Center for Suicide Prevention. Psychotherapy can help along with medication Relieve symptoms of depression. For women, that is. But less for men. This is because we seem to be depressed all wrong. Men and women see the world very differently; Their brains are literally wired differently. This means that men and women also experience depression in different ways.

There was a time when the American Psychological Association (APA), the organization responsible for certifying psychologists in the United States, looked open For the idea of ”male-based depression”. In 2005, the American Psychological Association noted that those in the psychological community were “beginning to believe that the classic signs of depression (sadness, worthlessness, and excessive feelings of guilt) may not be representative of the experience many men experience in depression.”

Unfortunately, not long after, the “sex is a construct” narrative started to gain traction, and APA He began to deny that the differences between The sex is already there. Soon after, the American Psychological Association decided to classify the traits associated with traditional masculinity as “Psychologically harmful. After effectively He turned his back On men, is it any wonder that the current system is ill-equipped to help American men?

For most of its history, the esteemed American Psychological Association has treated male and female mental health conditions with distinction; All of that changed once pressure mounted to de-emphasize gender differences.

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Which brings us back to the idea of ”male depression”. Adam Lane SmithMale depression tends to revolve around feelings of helplessness and powerlessness, says a licensed psychotherapist who specializes in treating both men and women.

He explained that “Men need to be able to change their environment, to make an impact that will last (legacy), and to either stop their pain or make it have a purpose.” They are less interested in validating their feelings, and more interested in finding a solution. They want answers, and they want them now.

On the other hand, Smith notes that women’s depression “tends to focus on feeling unloved or feeling useless to the people they love.” “Women need to feel cared for, appreciated and helped.”

Veteran therapist Adam Lane Smith says men are looking for the power to change the world around them from therapy; They want solutions - and they want them fast. — Veteran therapist Adam Lane Smith says men are looking for the power to change the world around them from therapy; They want solutions – and they want them fast.

For men, feeling unable to positively influence their environment seems to be a precursor to deep depression. “First, they start to feel so helpless in these areas that they can’t let go of these negative feelings,” Smith said. Then, he added, after some time, “suicidal feelings” set in. Smith’s words are particularly troubling because the rate of male depression is now so high rise dramatically.

For men seeking therapy, their main concerns are feeling useless and a burden to loved ones; They are not necessarily looking to feel better.

Given the opportunity, men tend to prefer talking to him male therapist. This has nothing to do with sexism. Data confirms that only men responds better For male therapists more than they do for female therapists.

Unfortunately, there are not enough male therapists to choose from. Almost two-thirds of psychologists in the United States of the females. Eighty percent or female clinical psychologists. About 75% of graduate students are in psychology of the females. This is one of the reasons why treatment fails for men.

On the other hand, women want therapy to help them feel loved and connected to the world around them; This dichotomy helps explain why conventional treatment fails for so many men.

Another reason is that most therapy sessions are about making men Feel Better, “more loving and more connected,” Smith notes. However, the vast majority of the time, he said, men feel helpless, “so making them feel loved while still being helpless makes them feel more of a burden, not less of a burden.”

In other words, we are trying to treat male-based depression using female-oriented approaches. This likely makes male therapy patients feel worse. Which begs the question: What, if anything, can be done?

One of the biggest challenges in the appropriate treatment of male depression is the dearth of male therapists. About 75% of graduate students in psychology today are women.

First and foremost, it is time for the broader psychology community to reverse course and acknowledge that there are biological differences—both the physical body and the immaterial mind. A one-size-fits-all approach…[not] It would turn the tide against the suicide epidemic, the drug epidemic, or any other mental health issue that’s currently getting worse,” Smith explains.

To get men off a hook, you must not only make them feel better, but actually achieve impactful and meaningful results. This should be the end game for any mental health treatment. Because to truly address male suffering, we must first accept the idea that male pain is often nothing like its female counterpart.

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