Look past the simple numbers of how many people need to find a therapist or counselor to address depression or anxiety. Beyond those numbers, how are people impacted, on an every day level, because of their mental health? Despite common perceptions, more men than women have trouble getting through their every day lives when faced with depression. So concludes a new study, one of the most robust on the topic, from the University of Otago, Wellington. The researchers found that men, more than women, had problems functioning their day-to-day personal and professional roles when struggling with depression. There was no data on whether therapy and counseling increased coping skills, nor did the research address the cause of the disparity. However, the authors suggest relationship styles as a possible explanation: if women are more likely to have emotionally intimate and supportive friendships, those relationships may serve as a buffer to some of depression’s negative side effects.
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