My Health
Anxiety in men: Fighting stereotypes www.medicalnewstoday.com | Written by Annie Lennon on June 11, 2022 — Fact checked by Anna Guildford, Ph.D.
Anxiety disorders are characterized by excessive fear and worry, and be- A 2021 review of 25 studies investigating anxiety among men found that havioral disturbances. They include: symptoms of anxiety differ between men and women. generalized anxiety disorder panic disorder social anxiety disorder separation anxiety disorder stress obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) major depressive disorder persistent depressive disorder.
The researchers found that men report increased anxiety severity and are more likely to report physical symptoms such as headache, loss of appetite, and body tremors, alongside sensations of losing control when compared to women of the same age.
In 2019, 301 million people around the world were living with an anxiety disorder, including 58 million children and adolescents. Estimates suggestTrusted Source that females are more affected than men; 23.4% of females have anxiety in a given year in the United States, and the same is true for 14.3% of males.
While mild anxiety has been linked to better cognitive performance, severe anxiety has been linked to reduced cognitive function. Other research suggests that anxiety disorders are linked to a lower quality of life and reduced social functioning.
They also found that anxiety among men tends to center on feelings of a lack of control and the perception of “being a failure” if unable to regain control of anxious states. Men also often depict their symptoms as “enduring, ever-present and sometimes life-long.”
Coping styles
While common in men, anxiety disorders have largely been overlooked in men’s mental health literature, meaning there is little high-quality reResearch has sometimes found differences in the emotion regulation search on the subject. strategies of men and women. Thus, it suggests that some men may tend to Medical News Today spoke with four experts in mental health on top- revert to problem-based coping more often, while some women might opt ics ranging from how anxiety expresses differently in men and women, for more avoidant coping strategies, such as seeking emotional support. to how men seek treatment, and what could improve the way they think Although problem-based coping strategies may be effective in situations about the condition and seek support. that are controllable or adjustable, they may fall apart if these conditions are not met. At this point, men are more likely than women to “self-medicate” as a form of avoidance behavior.
Symptoms
TT 156 | June 14th- June 20th| 2022
