Filed under 1-2 hours , 21st Century AD , 30-59 minutes , Alex Wilson , Free , NIMH , Nonfiction , The Longer Stuff

Have you known a man who is grumpy, irritable, and has no sense of humor? Maybe he drinks too much or abuses drugs. Maybe he physically or verbally abuses his wife and his kids. Maybe he works all the time, or compulsively seeks thrills in high-risk behavior. Or maybe he seems isolated, withdrawn, and no longer interested in the people or activities he used to enjoy.

Perhaps this man is you. If so, it is important to understand that there is a disease of the brain called depression that may be underlying these feelings and behaviors. It's real: scientists have developed sensitive imaging devices that enable us to see it in the brain. And it's treatable: more than 80 percent of those suffering from depression respond to existing treatments, and new ones are continually becoming available and helping more people. Talk to a healthcare provider about how you are feeling, and ask for help.

Or perhaps this man is someone you care about. Try to talk to him, or to someone who has a chance of getting through to him. Help him to understand that depression is a common illness among men and is nothing to be ashamed about. Encourage him to see a doctor and get an evaluation for depression.

For most men with depression, life doesn't have to be so dark and hopeless. Life is hard enough as it is; and treating depression can free up vital resources to cope with life's challenges effectively. When a man is depressed, he's not the only one who suffers. His depression also darkens the lives of his family, his friends, virtually everyone close to him. Getting him into treatment can send ripples of healing and hope into all of those lives.

Depression is a real illness; it is treatable; and men can have it. It takes courage to ask for help, but help can make all the difference.

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The National Institute of Mental Health (or NIMH) is a part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and works "to improve mental health through biomedical research on mind, brain, and behavior." For more information, visit http://www.nimh.nih.gov/

Alex Wilson is a writer and stage/film actor from northern Ohio and now based in Carrboro, North Carolina. He starred in the North American Premiere of Richard Taylor's musical Whistle Down the Wind and recently filmed The Third Cord with Emmy-nominated director Jack Lucido. His animated comics-parody film All's Fair in Love and Police Actions was recently selected as an iFilm Pick. He is the founder of Telltale Weekly and Spoken Alexandria. See his website for more. [new windows, all].