Men and Depression: The Current Newsweek Cover Story Newsweek, one of America’s premier newsmagazines, has just published a new issue with the February 26th issue cover story, “Men and Depression.”
It is a mixed blessing when a major periodical does a cover story on depression. Depression is a serious disorder that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) is currently ranked fourth in terms of causes of human suffering and disability. That speaks to how damaging and prevalent depression is already, but WHO goes on to predict that by the year 2020, depression will have risen to become the second most common cause of human suffering and disability. National and cross-national epidemiological surveys reveal the same disturbing fact: Depression is on the rise in every age and demographic group. It is not simply because we are more sensitive to it or aware of it. Experts agree it’s because depression really is increasing in prevalence. So, any exposure the topic of depression gets, especially in a highly regarded publication like Newsweek, can increase visibility of and awareness for the problem and, hopefully, encourage more people to recognize it in themselves or loved ones and seek treatment. Certainly it was the predominant theme of the article that men typically don’t recognize depression in themselves, and even if they do, being a “manly man” means not “being weak” and asking for help. So, the article strived to do the right thing and encourage men to recognize their depression and seek help for it. The truth is, though, that while there are gender differences in the pathways into depression and even the way depression is expressed by men and women, only about 20-25% of the people who need help will ask for help. There are many reasons for this ranging from the social stigma of depression to the very nature of depression, which is to be passive in the wake of perceptions of helplessness and hopelessness. Why bother to seek help if you believe nothing can help? The problem I had with the article is predictable if you know me and know my work. The authors identify social factor after social factor in terms of male socialization that lead many to miss the diagnosis and shun treatment. After a sensible analysis of the social factors, the authors recommend… biological treatments. What can men do, according to the authors? They can get medicated, or they can have deep brain electrical stimulation, or they can (fill- in –the- biological- blank). The evidence is beyond question that depression involves a huge social component. The authors emphasized that point correctly throughout their piece. But, they miss the incongruity of their suggested solutions when suggesting biology can trump social forces in overcoming depression. As a result of my frustration with the “off-target” solutions offered, I felt compelled to write a letter to the editor. It’s far too soon to know whether the letter will be published in an upcoming issue, but I’m sharing it with you here in an unedited form. (Even if it does get published, Newsweek will undoubtedly edit my letter into a shorter version). Letter to the Editor: As a clinical psychologist and depression expert who has authored numerous professional books and articles on the subject as well as the entry on “Depression: Perspectives and Treatments” for Encyclopedia Britannica’s Medical and Health Annual, I am both pleased you addressed a sensitive topic needing more attention and displeased that your cover story on “Men And Depression” will likely have the unintended effect of turning as many men off to getting treatment as turned on. Throughout the article you correctly point to the social pressures men face – the socialized images of what it means to be a manly man, what it means to be successful (“always up, positive, in charge…”) man, how it’s an admission of weakness for a man to ask for help-, etc. - but then your misleading solution is to focus men on biology when looking for help instead of addressing and working through the social factors that generated the depression in the first place. Biology’s potential to help is terribly overestimated. No antidepressant drug is going to redefine a man’s socialized image of what is manly. No amount of deep brain stimulation is going to make it easier to ask for directions when he’s lost, either literally or figuratively. People can learn the skills to better meet life on life’s terms rather than sinking into despair when they face challenges they are not adequately prepared to meet. The article mentions therapy, but only in a most cursory way. Most people – men or women- don’t want to be drugged or have their brain electrically stimulated, so by neglecting to talk about what therapy can do to address social factors that biological interventions can’t address, more readers will choose no treatment at all and thereby passively make matters worse. Clinicians and researchers have already developed effective strategies of prevention, a topic never even mentioned. Prevention strategies teach people how to think more clearly, how to make good decisions, how to problem-solve, and how to make realistic judgments about themselves, including their strengths and limitations and what they mean for making good life choices (such as accepting other’s ideas about what it means to be a man). A great deal of human misery could be alleviated if people evolved the kinds of skills such as those taught in therapy and in prevention programs that can empower them to live happier, more effective lives. But trying to solve what is largely a social problem with biological solutions alone is a little like trying to find the drug that will cure prejudice or child abuse.
Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist Fallbrook, California www.yapko.comMy Newest Book,
Hypnosis and Treating Depression, Was Named “Book of the Year” At the historic joint meeting of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) and the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH) held in Dallas, Texas, last month, I was awarded the Arthur Shapiro Award from SCEH for the “Best Book of the Year” on hypnosis for my 2006 edited book, Hypnosis and Treating Depression: Applications in Clinical Practice. I worked hard on that book, but the real credit goes to the contributing authors who each wrote chapters that were both insightful and practical. My thanks and congratulations go to each of them.Sad News About Jay Haley By now you may already have heard that pioneering family therapist and teacher extraordinaire Jay Haley passed away on February 13th. He was enigmatic, soft-spoken, and a brilliant strategist whose sense of wit and irony about the sometimes strange field of psychotherapy may never be equaled. It was my privilege to know him as a mentor and as a friend, and my best wishes go to his wife and my friend, Madeleine Richeport-Haley, the anthropologist and co-creator of so many of Jay’s important works. There are many, many people who will miss Jay. He chose not to have a funeral, but Maddy is encouraging people who wish to remember Jay to send donations to either:
The Jay Haley Scholarship Fund Attention: Ava Chan-Crowder Alliant International University 10455 Pomerado Road San Diego, CA 92131-1799Or Shriners Children’s Hospital 2425
Stockton Boulevard Sacramento, CA 95817
Remembrances can be sent to JayHaleyMemories@alliant.edu.
These will be passed on to his family. Jay was a huge influence on my way of thinking about and doing therapy, and I will miss him very, very much.My New Teaching Schedules are Now Posted on My Website I finally got my teaching schedules for this year and next year posted on my website. These will be busy times ahead! If you’re interested in when I might be in your area, just visit my site (www.yapko.com) and take a look at where I’ll be and when.
The 100 Hour Comprehensive Training in Hypnosis Programs Are Expanding: Newly Scheduled Trainings in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Del Mar Trainings Are Ready to Go! In the past month I began the first two small group comprehensive 100 hour training programs in clinical hypnosis, one in San Diego and the other in Indiana. Both courses had wonderful attendance, and it is now clearer to me that there are indeed clinicians out there who are willing to commit to longer, more intensive training programs in order to really develop their skills. I’m so glad! As a result, I have now scheduled two new trainings. The sooner of the two will be in San Diego and the first week (of three) begins in November. The second program will begin next March (2008) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (People on the east coast wanted to know when they could have a program!) The class sizes are kept small to increase the intensity of the training. If you’re thinking of attending, or know someone you think may be interested, please have them contact Diane, course administrator, at dianeyapko@roadrunner.com. She can send you a brochure, answer your questions, and get your space reserved. Cruise to Italy, Greece and Croatia in June and Get CEs, Too! In June I’ll be doing a 10 hour course on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship “Splendour of the Seas.” 10 CEs and a week of cruising through the Mediterranean. Ya gotta come along!!
For information, contact Pat Horstman phorstman@vacationsmyway.com.
The Tenth Ericksonian Congress on Hypnosis and Psychotherapy is Going to be Held in Phoenix December 6-9:
Keynote Address to be Delivered by…
The work of Milton H. Erickson continues to be a source of fascination and inspiration to therapists all over the world:
The Milton H. Erickson Foundation is parent to 100+ Institutes bearing Erickson’s name in dozens of countries.
The Congress taking place in December promises to be memorable. I was honored to be asked to deliver the opening keynote address for the Congress. I’m not sure yet what I plan to talk about, so I’ll wait for a little while to see what bubbles up for me as a fitting topic for the address. The Congress features leading practitioners providing workshops, papers, and demonstrations in an atmosphere that is both supportive and challenging. If you know you want to go and you can register soon, you’ll get the earliest registration discount, and can attend all days for a relatively inexpensive fee. The Foundation really does what it can to make it easy to go. So plan to go!
For registration information, contact The Milton H. Erickson Foundation at www.erickson-foundation.org.
Hope to see you in Phoenix in December.
And, a hot tip: If you can squeeze in a trip to the Grand Canyon afterwards, just a few hours’ drive north of Phoenix, you’ll be very glad you did.
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