Male Depression’s Manifestation and Effects on the Individual and Others: Turning the Data Into a Creative Work

Depression presents a prevalent and pervading issue of today’s modern world. While it effects both genders greatly, how depression manifest in each differs. The disparity between the manifestations, alone, can cause for the illness to go undetected by an uninformed public. But with the additive of the warped ideal of modern masculinity, the systems of male depression tend to go undetected to a higher degree in males. Men also tend to shy away from treatments and help in order to maintain the idea of the stoic male. The result is male suicides being at a drastically higher rate than that of females. The following paper details studies and surveys conducted about and with depression and its interaction with modern masculinity’s role in the individuals with the illness. It touches on the stigmas involved with mental illness and the stereotypes surrounding males. Additionally, the paper describes how the data driven information on depression and gender roles can be applied to a creative project. The project draws from the information in order to create an informed narrative that deals heavily with the illness and its impact on the inflicted individual, as well as those around the individual. The creative project formats as a play following a mid-twenties man searching for a career all the while battling his own depressive episode