This is an excellent article on men and depression. While many see depression as intense feelings of suicide, clinical depression can have more subtle symptoms (like loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, loss of interest in sex, increased or decreased appetite, difficulty with concentration and sustaining attention, etc.) Many psychologists note people with "smiling depression" because these people are so afraid of their intense feelings of despair that they hide them even from themselves. As described in the article, I've had men come in very reluctantly on referral from their physicians intent on finding a medical cause for their symptoms. "I'd rather have a neurological problem or a tumor than be depressed," they will say. But this is foolish because depression is very treatable. In fact, treatment success in mental health is statistically better than success rates in treating many major medical problems. Men are just as prone to depression as are women. Women, however, are more likely to seek treatment and stick with it over the long haul.

Men & Depression: Facing Darkness | February 22, 2007 | Newsweek

Men & Depression: Facing Darkness

By Julie Scelfo Newsweek Feb. 26, 2007 issue - For nearly a decade, while serving as an elected official and working as an attorney, Massachusetts state Sen. Bob Antonioni struggled with depression, although he didn't know it. Most days, he attended Senate meetings and appeared on behalf of clients at the courthouse. But privately, he was irritable and short-tempered, ruminating endlessly over his cases and becoming easily frustrated by small things, like deciding which TV show to watch with his girlfriend. After a morning at the state house, he'd be so exhausted by noon that he'd drive home and collapse on the couch, unable to move for the rest of the day. More...