Emerging from silence
Clark psychologist Michael Addis and his research on men’s depression is challenging the way society views men and offering hope to those men who needlessly suffer with their depression in silence.
By Colleen Mullaney | Photos by Rob Carlin
According to psychologist Michael Addis, for many men, admitting that they suffer from depression is more difficult than admitting that they are an alcoholic or a drug addict. After all, it ’s more socially acceptable for a man to be a “drunk” or “junkie” than to suffer from what society deems a “woman’s issue,” he explains. Addis wants to change this stigma on a national level.
Addis heads the Men’s Coping Project at Clark, a research project funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), which is examining the way men experience, express and respond to mental-health problems. The goal of the study is to gain a better understanding of men ’s well-being and how men cope with stress and other problems in their lives.
This is the first such study funded by the NIMH, explains Addis, who wrote the grant proposal that was awarded funding for exploratory work on barriers to men ’s use of mental-health services. “NIMH has a special granting mechanism for research dedicated to areas of strong public-health significance that have not been adequately researched. At the time, NIMH was funding only about 10 percent of proposals, so they judged this work to be very important, ” explains Addis.
Addis has conducted research on the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. He is a past recipient of the New Researcher Award from the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy and the David Shakow Early Career Award for Contributions to the Science and Practice of Clinical Psychology from the American Psychological Association. He is currently president-elect of the Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity, Division 51 of the American Psychological Association, and chair of Clark ’s Psychology Department.
Addis’ expertise in the area of men’s depression is frequently sought out by the media. He and his research team have been featured in national and international magazine and newspaper articles, including U.S. News and World Report and Newsweek, as well as in television news segments. Addis most recently contributed to the PBS documentary, “Men Get Depression,” a one-hour show exploring the lives of men with their families as they face the challenge of depression. He is also the co-author of “Ending Depression One Step at a Time,” a self-help book that Addis says “distinguishes itself in that the approach is very concrete and behaviorally oriented – almost like coaching; a self-help book based on a treatment that has been tested scientifically and found to be as, or more effective, than anti-depressant medication. ” The book has been translated into Swedish and Danish and is being used in several studies around the country and in Europe.
Uncharted territory “There isn’t a program of research out there solely dedicated to this topic,” says Addis. While in graduate school Addis was seeing the stigma play out in his clinical practice, as well as in friends. He wondered why men don ’t seek help and why this important issue was not being acknowledged and studied. This prompted Addis to delve deeper into this uncharted territory.
“Many men have this deep-seated belief that it’s not okay for them to struggle emotionally,” Addis says. With the old adages “keep a stiff upper lip,” “boys don’t cry,” “mama’s boy” and “sissy” being thrown about, the expectation is that “real men” don’t get sad—they work, they play and watch sports, they drink, but they do not share their feelings.
According to Addis, men are diagnosed with depression half as often as women, yet they are four times more likely to commit suicide. Men also outnumber women in rates of substance abuse, anger and other potential indicators of psychological distress. Men are also far less likely than women to receive any form of mental or behavioral health care. As well, men are much more apprehensive about taking medication, which is unfortunate says Addis, because there are many good medications out there that have had ample trial periods proving them to be beneficial.
Addis stresses the dire need for more research on this topic. “We have all of these resources nationally for studying mental health, but when it comes to men ’s health it is virtually untouched,” he notes. “Clearly there is a problem here that needs to be addressed so that more men can overcome the stigma and seek help for their problems. ”
Understanding barriers Through the Men’s Coping Project, Addis and his team of graduate and undergraduate students have so far collected data from 100 men who volunteered to be part of the study. Participants contribute through a series of questionnaires and interviews that are conducted and analyzed by Addis and his team. The research is present-focused and there is no delving deeply into the subject ’s past or suggesting what help they might seek. Although no recommendations are given for therapy, some participants can receive feedback that can be useful. Addis hopes to interview 200 men before the end of the study. After the data is analyzed, it will be submitted for publication in research journals.
“There are two goals of the project: to understand barriers men face and take the knowledge received and give feedback, ” says Addis. The research has thus far indicated that many men who experience significant levels of depression have tremendous difficulty seeking help. Moreover, many of them who become more interested in seeking help by virtue of participation in this study face additional financial barriers to receiving needed care. At the same time, they have seen men who participate in this study subsequently decide to seek help, he notes.
“This has been tremendously rewarding to see,” says Addis.
Although funding for this project runs out at the end of this calendar year, Addis ’ commitment to the issues surrounding men’s mental health will not. There is still much work to be done, he asserts. He hopes to garner support and funding to establish at Clark the first center of its kind in the world for the study of men ’s mental health.
“The center would be dedicated to conducting research and disseminating innovative knowledge on causes of mental-health problems in men, and social factors that affect men ’s ability to seek help from friends, family members and professionals. Research would be conducted in the local and regional community and would involve collaborations between faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students, ” explains Addis.
Addis hopes his work will help change society’s views and thus facilitate the acceptance of men who can openly and honestly address their depression and feel comfortable and confident in seeking help. Addis is looking forward to that moment in time when the silent suffering will end and men can come out of the depression closet. If he has his say, Clark and the Men ’s Coping Project will be leading the way.CNdingbat.tif
For more information on the Men’s Coping Project, visit www.clarku.edu/faculty/addis/menscoping
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Clarknews Fall 2008
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Psychology professor Michael Addis
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