Male Depression: Why We Need to Measure It Differently

If you’ve ever taken a standard depression questionnaire like the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), you might have walked away thinking, “Well, I’m not crying every day, so I guess I’m fine.”

But what if your depression doesn’t look like sadness?

What if it shows up as irritability, withdrawal, overworking, reckless behavior, or needing a drink to calm down?

Depression Doesn’t Always Look the Same — Especially in Men

At Guys Resolve, we work with men every day who are successful, smart, and functional — but still struggling. And they often don’t recognize what they’re feeling as depression.

This isn’t surprising. Research has shown that men often experience and express depression differently than women — a phenomenon that’s been referred to as “male-type depression” (Rice et al., 2015). While women tend to internalize symptoms (sadness, guilt, crying), men are more likely to externalize them (anger, risk-taking, substance use, withdrawal).

And yet, many of the most commonly used depression scales were developed around symptoms more commonly reported by women.

The Problem With Traditional Depression Measures

Tools like the Beck Depression Inventory are valuable, but they often miss some of the most common warning signs in men. Questions tend to focus on sadness, crying, sleep, and appetite. But what if your symptoms are things like:

• Snapping at your partner

• Throwing yourself into work to avoid what you feel

• Needing alcohol to relax

• Bottling everything up and pushing people away

These don’t always score high on traditional measures — but they matter.

Introducing the Male Depression Risk Scale (MDRS-22)

That’s where the Male Depression Risk Scale (MDRS-22) comes in.

Developed by Rice et al. (2015), this tool was specifically designed to capture the externalized and gendered ways men often express distress. It includes questions like:

• “I bottled up my negative feelings.”

• “I overreacted to situations with aggressive behaviour.”

• “I needed alcohol to help me unwind.”

• “I verbally lashed out at others without being provoked.”

These items reflect patterns we regularly see in our clients — and that often go unnoticed or misdiagnosed. The MDRS-22 is a crucial step toward recognizing that male mental health needs its own lens.

Why Gender-Based Assessment Matters

Men are still far less likely than women to seek help for depression. When they do, they may not use words like “depressed.” They might say they’re “tired,” “frustrated,” or “not feeling like themselves.”

They may even come in for anger, relationship issues, or sexual performance concerns — and only later realize those were symptoms of a deeper issue.

Gender-sensitive assessment tools like the MDRS-22 help clinicians:

• Recognize symptoms that are often missed

• Start better conversations with clients

• Avoid misdiagnosis or underdiagnosis in men

• Build trust with clients who feel seen and understood

Understanding Male Type Depression at Guys Resolve

We’ve incorporated this and related research into how we look for, understand, and explain depression with our male clients.

Because when men feel understood, they open up. And when they open up, they get better.

If you’ve ever wondered whether what you’re feeling might be more than just “a rough patch,” we’re here to help. You don’t need to fit anyone’s idea of what depression “should” look like. You just need to be ready to talk.

Book a free consultation today and let’s figure it out — together.

References

Rice, S. M., Fallon, B. J., Aucote, H. M., Möller-Leimkühler, A. M., Treeby, M. S., & Amminger, G. P. (2015). Longitudinal sex differences of externalising and internalising depression symptom trajectories: Implications for assessment of depression in men from an online study. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 61(3), 236–240. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764014540149

This post was AI-Generated and then lightly edited.