Men’s Mental Health Addressed At Livingston COVID Press Conference

Local mental health experts said depression and anxiety have been more common among men since COVID began.

Dale Hollow Mental Health Director Anne Stamps spoke at Livingston’s Monthly COVID update Monday. Stamps said six million men each year are affected by a mental illness.

Stamps said depression and anxiety can manifest differently for men.

“With anxiety, men may experience anger and irritability,” Stamps said. “Some physical symptoms like headaches, muscle aches and pain. They may abuse alcohol or drugs to try and cope with the anxiety.”

Stamps said that depression in men can cause irritability, lack of sleep, fatigue and a loss of interest in activity, opposed to sadness. Stamps said that suicide is the number two cause of death among men under 44. She said suicide rates are rising for middle age men, with men accounting for 70 percent of all suicides.

She said affected men can get local assistance with these illnesses by calling 877-567-6051 or 1-800-704-2651 for the Upper Cumberland’s 24-hour crisis line.

“Men seem to have some difficulty trying to get some help and treatment,” Stamps said. “It may be some issues related to stereotypical role expectations, some infusion of complicated feelings and confusion, some difficulties in expressing ones self.”

Stamps said she encourages men with these feelings to talk about it with their primary care doctor or community mental health provider. Stamps said that while calls have increased to the crisis center during the pandemic, she hopes to see more people getting help as reopening continues around the Upper Cumberland.