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Male depression expected to increase, experts say

Traditional sources of male self-esteem are disappearing

The number of men with depression is expected to rise due to large-scale changes in Western society, the BBC reports. According to an article in the British Journal of Psychiatry, economic and social changes are quickly destroying traditional sources of male self-esteem, and men are expected to struggle with the shift away from traditional gender roles. The men’s health forum said male identity is closely connected to employment. Traditionally “male” jobs like manufacturing and pysical labour are disappearing, and as women are now more likely to go to university, the number of households where the main breadwinner is expected to rise. “Women are almost twice as likely to develop major depressive disorder in their lifetime as men, but we believe this difference may well change in the coming decades,” said one of the authors, Dr. Boadie Dunlop of the Emory University School of Medicine.

BBC News

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