Search - Men Get Depression on DVD

Great film

Roland | Idaho | 04/29/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Having watched this film, and being a psychology major, and having depression myself, I am reviewing this from a particular perspective. That being said, overall, I believe this is a great documentary to watch for those who have depression, or may think they do and are not sure. This is a mental health condition that has been hard for men to open up with and to deal with, for cultural reasons etc. This film allows the male viewer to see that they are not alone, and that there is nothing wrong with expressing ones emotions and seeking help. This film was long over due and it is a great progress that it has been made and that us men are being allowed by society to be human beings and to have feelings like everyone else."

This is a good documentary on men and depression...

Joe Anthony (a.k.a. JAG 1) | Massachusetts, USA | 06/13/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"From the time I was sixteen to the time I was about thirty six (20 years) I walked around with very low self-esteem; thoughts of death and suicide; feelings of fear and anxiety; and uncontrollable periodic episodes of rage. I also had insomnia and an irritable bowel. As my anger and depression grew worse, it put me in a very bad place that could have cost me my family.

This movie consists of interviews with expert psychologists and several men just like me, of all races, ethnic groups and socio-economic backgrounds. It discusses the benefits of therapy and medication. It touches upon many of the things that I went through myself and also interviews family members (wives, children and parents) of depressed and angry men and how this mental illness is propbably even worse for the family who has to deal with a brooding, moody, sometimes detatched, sometimes very angry dad. It also talks about how men are reluctant to seek help and accept help because of macho attitudes and cultural expectations of men in American society.

The only downside is that the the movie did not go into enough depth concerning medication. Medication does offer hope for the depressed man. In my case, medication has caused me to feel and function as what I call "a regular person". Indeed, the past few years that I have been taking meds for depression have been great in terms of a whole new world opening up for me: it is a world without low self esteem, constant fear and anxiety, suicidal ideation and embarrassing temper tantrums at home and at work.

Be that as it may, medication presents challenges that were not adequately discussed in the movie. In my experience, it takes about a year to get the medication just right in terms of lifting the black cloud of depression, but not having the patient feel as though he is taking "happy pills". Indeed, when I first starting taking meds, the dose was too high, and I was like a person who was "high" in the sense that nothing bothered me, and I couldn't even wipe the smile off my face. I changed meds and the doctor changed the dosage and I got to point where I felt more like a "normal clear-thinking person".

Another issue around meds are the sexual side-effects which go along with all anti-depressant medications. I realize that it is a sensitive subject, but it wasn't talked about and managing the sexual side-effects is an important issue even to older married men like me who take meds for depression.

The movie also could have discussed more-so the possible causes of depression in men, such as chemical and hormonal changes; as well as social stresses that may push men over the edge. Even so, it was a good video, at least to get people to understand this mental illness as something more than a thing that men can "snap out of".

There are a lot of us "angry dads" walking around in American society, but as the poet Longfellow once said, "so often we think a man is cold when he is only sad.""