Understanding How Depression Affects Men
May 20, 2025
Millions of men suffer from depression, yet many never seek treatment, perhaps because of a disparity in the way depression is measured or recognized among males compared with females. In fact, data show male depression can be associated with different symptoms, making it harder to diagnose and easier to dismiss as “something else.”
At Revival Infusion Madison, Sarah Wilczewski, CRNA, APNP, helps men and women battle the effects of depression with customized ketamine therapy tailored to each person’s unique needs. In recognition of Men’s Health Month, we share a brief overview of depression in men, including some of the differences that can make it harder to spot.
Depression is a chronic mental health condition rooted in your brain health — specifically, how your brain produces, regulates, and distributes key chemicals called neurotransmitters. These chemicals support critical functions, like mood regulation, motivation, and cognitive function.
In people with depression, neurotransmitter production, regulation, or activity is disrupted and altered, leading to depressive symptoms, like low energy, sadness, irritability, and brain fog. Rather than being something you can just “get over,” depression is actually a condition that alters the way your brain functions, and as such, it requires a medical approach to care and treatment.
Historically, depression has been associated more strongly with women, and indeed, women are diagnosed with depression far more frequently than men. However, recent developments in our understanding of depression reveal that depression may be underdiagnosed in men, in part due to differences in the way depression “looks.”
Depression tends to cause different symptoms in men compared with women. While researchers aren’t sure why that is, they feel it may be linked to hormone activity, societal expectations, cultural influences, or even genetic differences. This difference can make it harder to spot depression among men who may not exhibit the traditional “signs” of depression.
For instance, while both women and men typically experience persistent sadness, fatigue, and feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem, men may be more likely to exhibit irritability or aggressive or angry behavior as a result of their depression. They may also be more likely to engage in escapist behavior, like immersing themselves in work.
Men may be more likely to complain of physical symptoms, like fatigue, headaches, or an overall lack of energy. They may also exhibit more cognitive symptoms, like problems concentrating, issues with decision-making, or memory.
At the same time, men may be less likely to report depression symptoms because historically, these symptoms may have been seen as a sign of “weakness” among men. Phrases like “man up” or “boys don’t cry” reinforce the idea that expressing sadness or asking for help is unacceptable. Not only does that mean men are less likely to ask for help, but it can also make it harder for clinicians to diagnose depression.
While medication and therapy can help many men (and women) manage their depression symptoms, many people find these treatments fall short when it comes to providing meaningful, long-term relief. In those instances, ketamine therapy offers an effective alternative.
For depression treatment, ketamine engages the brain in a different way compared with antidepressant medications, targeting different chemical pathways. That’s why ketamine therapy has been shown to be very effective in people who haven’t responded to antidepressant medications, a condition called treatment-resistant depression.
If you’ve been diagnosed with depression and traditional medical treatment hasn’t helped, ketamine could be the solution you’ve been looking for. To learn more about ketamine infusion therapy for depression, request an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Revival Infusion Madison in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, today.