Andropause correlates directly with depression – a major player in the notorious mid-life crisis period men face in their late 40´s to late 50´s.
There are a wide variety of symptoms and conditions men experience during this mid-life transition – everything from the mental (i.e. irritability) to the physical (loss of libido, lack of energy, and weight gain.) Depression, left untreated, can be a disabling condition.
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Andropause depression is due to dropping levels of testosterone. Low testosterone levels cause many depressive symptoms – among them, a general indifference to events surrounding you, the inability to concentrate, extreme irritability, and memory loss.
We might stress over things that might otherwise be worry-free in a normal situation and brood over certain matters. Our memory might go down the drain and we begin to see our lives in a negative light.
Energy levels plummet and enthusiasm for the activities we used to enjoy become flat-lined. Insomnia and restlessness is also a common symptom. Normal everyday things can become a burden to us, and the simplest shout of a child can make us excessively irritable.
Psychologists use a variety of battery tests to figure out whether you suffer from depression. Besides handing you test sheets to work with, they also place you under observation – noticing your behavior, tendencies, and habits while talking to them. Men tend to be rebellious creatures by nature. We love shrugging off our faults and being poised in the midst of emotional trouble. We take on the role as masculine creatures – lion kings of the jungle that reign over the sprawling landscape we call life.
Men can be in full denial when it comes to questions about their sexual ability and prowess. Refusing to understand that we aren’t who we once were with our sexual performance as a result of Andropause is in our blood.
Fellas, it is time to become aware and acquainted with the severity of your depression. Off the bat, there are facts and figures supporting depression as a major problem. For one, 80% of all suicides in the United States are carried out by men.
The majority of people with this condition never seek the advice and counsel of therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Probably the most shocking fact of all is the male suicide rate is highest during the Andropause years. You read correctly – highest during the years we’re specifically talking about.
How do we deal with these devastating changes to our lives? How can we manage stress to reduce the chances of clinical depression? For one, we must follow a daily exercise regimen. That coupled with a caffeine-free diet will boost our immune systems to fight disease. It will also slow down the aging process. Aim to maintain that explosive 30-inch, vertical leap well into your 60s!
Another is doing the activities we love. Don’t stray from playing your pick-up basketball games with buddies or building those go-carts from scratch as a hobby. Stick to them and enjoy the satisfaction of doing so. Distract yourself from your current condition without ignoring it completely.
Maintain a social network of friends and family that will cheer you up when you need it most. Something as simple as having your young child shove a hand drawing of a red school bus in your face can provide for laughs and smiles. The most important piece of advice is to accept your condition and make accommodations. For example, low testosterone levels can easily be supplemented with testosterone cream.
It’s bound to happen to all of us, and you either have the choice of making the best of it or letting it overwhelm you. Awareness is critical, and an optimistic attitude, followed with physical activity and a solid nutritional plan, is the best means of fighting Andropause, anti-aging, and the demon known as depression.
The information in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice.
Watch the video related to andropause
Help answer the question about andropause
what is the best way to deal andropause & fibromyoglia( also knowen as chronic fatiuge synndrome)?
please also advice how it interacts with other medication like hyper tension, heart medicine etc.
About Author
Cathy Taylor is a marketing consultant and freelance writer and can be reached at creativecommunications@cox.net
December 1st, 2009 at 2:20 pm
I have had moderate to severe depression on and off for about 14 years now I have tried that many different medications its not funny my main complaint was weight gain or my dose of the medication would go up and up until I hit the highest dose of that medication – Im now taking Endep and although it caused weight gain to start with (for the 1st year ugh) that seems to have stopped and Im starting to ever so slowly lose the weight again – If I dont take it even for a couple of days I end up having severe depression and many panic attacks – I dont have bipolar and Endep does make you sleep but then this is one of the reasons I was put on it as I have pretty bad insomnia as well so I need the help to get to sleep… I know I havent answered your question but I gave up for a couple of years when I was pregnant and had my baby etc and things just spiraled in a downward direction until I went back to the Drs to try some new medications again – just remember they can take a little while to kick in (around 2 weeks) so dont get discouraged if they dont work straight away for you… I wish you all the best and Im glad you recognise whats happening to you before you do, do something you dont want to do.
December 1st, 2009 at 2:45 pm
i hear you. ive been suffering with moderate-severe depression since i was 11 or 12. im 17 now, and still depressed as ever. i have come to find out that therapy simply just doesn't work for me. i can NOT talk to people i do not know, all the therapists i've had are pretty much quacks. i take lexapro and wellbutrin to keep me sane. most days i'm okay, but others im in tears basically all day. my mother always asks me whats wrong, even if i am content because sometimes i show no emotion. when im on the phone i sound either depressed or like a man (its funny actually lol). depression isn't somethign you SNAP out of. just go to your doctor and talk to them about it. find a therapist you actually LIKE and is easy to talk to. one who actually listens to you.
good luck battling your depression, eventually it will pass, you will be happy again
// p.s. i normally think about death. if i'm alone i start to think about death and the life after, what would happen if i were to die, who would care, how life would change, or if it even would. if i were to die, what would happen with me… etc etc. its not a fun thing but i can't help it. if you need someone to talk to i'm here. depression SUCKS but its nice to talk to someone else who has it.
December 1st, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Great Depression 2.0
December 3rd, 2009 at 7:52 am
Before Curt Flood challenged the reserve clause, and the era of free agency was begun, a superstar even in the 1960's was based on that ballplayer making more than $100K a year. For years, Detroit Tigers did not pay Hall of Famer Al Kaline over 90K because as great as he was, and he was great-one of the best arms I ever saw and a powerful fast bat–they did not consider him a superstar.
With everyone complaining about the Yankees payroll today, the fact is, if the Yankees had not had all the championships in a time when New York was a more enviable place to be, baseball might not have survived.
Also, nobody made their money back then off of owning a team with very, very few exceptions, much like in football these days very few owners make their money off of the ownership of their teams. These people made money in business, and used the money from these businesses to pay the players.
Ask any Bosox fan why they felt cursed by the Bambino, Babe Ruth, and they know, Ruth's sale to the Yankees was not about baseball. It was to help the owner of the Red Sox finance a Broadway musical called No No Nanette that featured some songs that would become famous–and the owner had to pay its star, Ruby Keeler, money and she was worth more to him than Babe Ruth and baseball. He sold him for 125K–which is less than what A-Rod makes for 1 game today!
I got this paragraph from US History.com:
In 1930, Ruth was earning a salary of $80,000 a year, a spectacular number in that era. A reporter suggested that perhaps he was overpaid, since Herbert Hoover was only getting $75,000 as president of the United States. Ruth is reported to have replied, "Why not? I had a better year than he did." There have been several reported variations of the statement.
Also, there were about half as many teams–16 teams back then-8 in each league-as opposed to 30 teams today. The ballparks were smaller, so actually lower proportionate overhead. There were no night games until 1939, so no need for lights. No fancy electrical scoreboards and such, so everything cost less back then.
Teams were more centrally located–so not that far to travel, and much of it was by rail, not planes…
Because of the salary structure, and the low overhead, only during the 1930's has baseball ownership averaged a loss…and that was an average of only -3%. Salaries were about 1/3 of the overall costs to a team owner, unlike the 54+% it is today.
Even at an average of $1.00/ticket, with several hundred thousand fans, a team often broke even at best.
Free agency changed all that. Actually, baseball owners like Charlie Finley, before George Steinbrenner, and then Steinbrenner with Catfish Hunter, followed by Reggie Jackson and such, changed it further…to the point where every owner pays what the fans will pay freight for, and fans are willing to pay for it.
The Yankees used to get 1 million fans. 2 million fans was at one time incredible. With the new stadium going up in 2009, it would not be out of the question to draw 5 million as they this year will pass 4 million fans. So, it is all relative.
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:11 am
According to the diagnostic and statistical manual IV, "Major depression" is classified as at least 5 out of the 9 symptoms, one of which must be:
1/ Feeling depressed/down
or
2/ Feeling like nothing interests you anymore – even things that you used to like doing
for most of the day, for most days of the week
The other 7 symptoms are:
Fatigue
Poor attention
Change in appetite/weight
Sleep changes (sleeping more or sleeping less with or without early morning wakening)
Everything slows down (the person moves slower, speaks slower, etc.)
Feeling excessively guilty / at fault / worthless
Suicidal thoughts/thoughts that life isn't worth living
Yes it is true that there are side effects to the medications, but if the person is quite depressed that it's affecting their life substantially, medications might be needed – if only to help them pick themselves up again.
This is especially the case if suicidal thoughts are involved as their safety is of significant importance.
However, one thing you need to keep in mind is that these medications take a long time to work.. at least 6 weeks for them to start to feel better. They may even feel worse after a week or 2. They also need to continue the medications for 12 months for it to be effective.
Counseling might be an option initially if the person you're talking about is wary about taking drugs and worried about their side effects, but if there is any indication of suicidal ideation, it could be quite serious and counseling might not be enough. All the best!
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:58 am
The war was a contributor on both ends of the depression. The main contributor was the over value of stocks and the sale of stocks with credit not forgetting the speculator's greed; Hoover was caught up and blamed for things that were not of his making, he was slow in taking action thus received most of the blame.
There were several projects started, Tennessee Valley Project, Damns were built, Roads repaired Flood control levies built, any thing to get people off the street.
Remember the depression was not just an American problem. In Europe, for instance, people were forced to purchase food every day because the prices would change, sometimes every hour. Sound familiar?
There have been some safe guards installed in the economy system, however greed and power will find the loop holes and a sleepy congress can set us up again for bad times.
The history web site can be of more assistance. It would take up much space to be complete and it gets personal.
nationalhistory.org
Terry G.
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