2nd Edition

Overcoming Masculine Depression The Pain Behind the Mask

    224 Pages
    by Routledge

    224 Pages
    by Routledge

    In Overcoming Masculine Depression, psychologists John Lynch and Christopher Kilmartin present a model that provides new ways of understanding men’s behaviors.  This unique book does not portray men as victims, but seeks to increase awareness that a great deal of depression in men is misunderstood and quite often misdiagnosed. Many men "act out" their symptoms through anger, workaholism, and relationship conflict. Underlying these behaviors are chronic feelings of being hopeless, helpless, and worthless. Men can learn to recognize symptoms of masculine depression and take steps to reclaim their lives and relationships, and the authors offer many strategies for doing so. Numerous case examples are provided to illustrate the various dynamics of male depression. New to this edition are chapters on self-regulation and impulse control and the application of evidence-based treatment for depression to the symptoms of male depression. This is an essential resource for all helping professionals who work with male clients, as well as for men experiencing symptoms of depression and the people in their lives.

    Part I: Origins and Consequences  He Sure Doesn't Look Depressed.  Family Influences.  Inhumane Treatment Leads to Inhuman Behavior: The Socialization Process.  Impulsive Reactions (What Was I Thinking?).  The Masculine Dilemma: "Not too Close, Not too Far Away."  Part II: Solutions Empathy for Self and Responsibility for Change.  Relation to Other Men.  Relation to Other Women.  Relations with Family.  Fear and Rage in the Lives of Men.  Unlearning Helplessness: Lessons from Classic Depression Therapy.  The Health Picture.

    Biography

    John R. Lynch, PhD, is in private practice in Richmond, Virginia. He has worked in the trauma recovery field and in men’s issues for most of his career.

    Christopher Kilmartin, PhD, is a professor of psychology at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia and a past president of the American Psychological Association’s Society for the Study of Men and Masculinity.

    "This book focuses on one of America’s most challenging mental health topics – male depression. Kilmartin and Lynch’s brilliant analysis informs both clients and therapists about how to meet this challenge. I enthusiastically recommend this book because it is the best resource on helping men with therapy that current exists." - Jim O'Neil, PhD, Professor of Educational Psychology, the University of Connecticut; Private Practice, South Windsor, CT

    "Drs. Lynch and Kilmartin expose the significance of hidden male depression with clear conceptualization and vivid examples from the lives of real men. Their work challenges all clinicians who treat men to see beyond the normative male façade and focus on the underlying issues of anxiety, sadness, shame, and vulnerability." - Fredric E. Rabinowitz, PhD, Professor of Psychology and Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Redlands

    "Lynch and Kilmartin have once again authored a marvelously compassionate analysis of the crippling and often destructive outcome of many men’s inability to recognize and manage their emotional pain. This volume not only provides deep insights into the multiple origins of men’s depression, but it also offers therapists and depressed men realistic pathways out of maladaptive coping patterns." - Gary R. Brooks, PhD, Baylor University; Private Practice, Temple, Texas

    Lynch and Kilmartin sensitively articulate how the gender socialization process is learned by boys and men and how this socialization leaves men vulnerable to the masculine depression they so clearly describe. By weaving back and forth between personal and engaging stories of men’s lives to the science and practice that informs what we know about depression and how it is expressed in men, they provide useful guidelines for understanding men’s pain and, most importantly, suggestions for how men might develop healthier and more satisfying ways to manage the inevitable pain and frustrations that accompany an active, engaged, and meaningful life. This new edition will be a helpful resource for men who might be experiencing depression, those who care for them, and therapists who might be working with them." - Sam V. Cochran, PhD, Director, University Counseling Service, University of Iowa; Past President, Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity