Being Depressed Has Nothing
to do With Gender

The use of gender should not be used for predicting whether or not a person is more prone to developing depression. Most books on depression say that there are twice as many women suffering from depression as men. Although there might be twice as many women that get treatment for depression, I think there are at least as many men that are suffering from it. Men don't like to talk about emotions, and far less that they would tell anyone that they feel depressed. Depression to men is not an illness that seems manly. According to Terrence Real, a psychotherapist, a man's family and sometimes even his physician are less likely to mention it because they are afraid of hurting his male ego and making him more depressed. Therefore, it only seems like there are twice as many women suffering from depression as men. Furthermore, books that describe bipolar depression say that there are about the same number of men suffering from that illness as women. The same books say that if there is any history of any kind of depression in a person's family there is a greater chance of that person developing bipolar depression. From this fact it is obvious that there is little difference biologically between unipolar and bipolar depression. Society has allowed and expected women to show their emotions, but considers it a sign of weakness in a man. Nevertheless, if gender is used for predicting whether a person is more prone to developing depression, both men and women will suffer; men will not get the treatment they need, and women will take all the blame for the lack of communication in the family and will become more depressed. Whether or not a person develops depression, has nothing to do with whether they are male or female.

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