JEREMIAH FELT GLUED to his couch, too sad and unmotivated to move. He was supposed to be getting ready for his wedding—a day when he expected to feel more confident than ever. Instead, his groomsmen had to come to his apartment and help him get there.
A former college athlete, Jeremiah was still a big guy, and it took all of them to lift him from the couch and carry him out the door. Jeremiah had absolutely no doubts about marrying the love of his life. He was in the throes of a depressive episode, one of many he had experienced dating back several years.
For Jeremiah, becoming a husband meant becoming a provider and protector. But on the day he was supposed to step into that role, he was the one who needed help—and he felt ashamed. The wedding-day episode was just one part of a much longer struggle.
Jeremiah’s symptoms first appeared in college and worsened after graduation. When he entered the workforce, his symptoms worsened and he became exhausted and increasingly apathetic—to the point of neglecting his hygiene. Eventually, he became too depressed to get out of bed in the morning and lost his first job.
In 2012, Jeremiah was officially diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD), a mental health condition that can have a significant impact on daily life and make it difficult to find motivation or energy for self-care. Over the next nine years, persistent symptoms made it difficult for him to maintain employment, and he eventually went on disability. DEPRESSION IN MEN often hides in plain sight.
In 2021, 6.2 percent of U.S. adult men and 10.3 percent of U.S. adult women experienced a major depressive episode, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Those numbers tell us how common depression is, but not what it looks like. Men and women can experience many of the same symptoms, including sadness, hopelessness, fatigue, changes in sleep, and loss of interest in favorite activities.
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