Depression and Men

So what exactly is depression? How often have we heard others say that they feel down, low, out of sorts, or depressed? How often have we heard those words come out of our own mouths? How often have we heard our parents or close friends utter, “Don’t be sad, things will get better!” or “Everyone is sad sometimes.” Do these feelings constitute depression? Does being told not to feel a certain way make that emotion just disappear? According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), there are certain characteristics one needs to meet in order to be clinically diagnosed with depression. Some of these characteristics include insomnia, fatigue, irritability, weight loss, and fogginess. One of the stark contrasts between “feeling ...