DELUSION, feelings of worthlessness, loneliness and self-loathing were all symptoms of a common disease that affected men and women at various stages in life, Daw Khin Myo Yee, a professor at the department of Psychology from the University of Yangon told the Myanmar Times.

Depression could hit at times of stress and confusion and men from all age groups and economic backgrounds could experience weight loss, hallucinations, sleeplessness, suicidal tendencies and a reduced sex drive as a result, Daw Khin Myo Yee said.

U Tun Myint, a retired textile factory worker said he had experienced some of these symptoms since he stopped working full-time.

“As soon as I retired, I was overwhelmed with depression. I stopped sleeping well at night and I lost my appetite,” U Tun Myint said.

“It was the financial difficulties that made me depressed. Before, I had my own income, I was the breadwinner and I had my self-confidence. Now I have to depend on my children and my wife for everything,” he said.

Daw Khin Myo Yee said “Men who retire may experience depression despite not having the pressures of work, as retirement can leave them feeling financially powerless”.

U Tun Myint said he thought his wife and children did not listen to him and it made him feel inferior.

“It makes me feel useless and worthless and I don’t want to talk to my family or stay at home. As a father, I don’t feel that I can talk about these feelings with my family or children,” he said.

The emotional and financial pressure that results from being a working family man could also leave men depressed and Daw Khin Myo Yee said many men found it difficult to juggle their responsibilities.

“While I am on the boat I am getting paid and I don’t need to worry about my finances but occasionally I get homesick and I worry about my family. It sometimes makes me feel depressed,” Ko Nyien Zaw said.

“When I get back home, I have a lot of time to spend with my family but my money slowly disappears because I am not earning any more and I begin to feel stressed about my financial situation. The longer I stay at home and the longer I stay at sea, the more depressed I become,” he said.

Daw Khin Myo Yee said men needed positive reinforcement from their families and their employers, to take away the pressure that left them depressed. If there was no support from a man’s family or boss, he could feel increasingly despondent, he said.

Ko Zaw Min Aung, a 28-year-old assistant engineer fro a construction machinery company, said his dissatisfaction with work made him feel extremely depressed.

Ko Saw Thet Linn said he too felt depressed about his future. Despite being a site engineer for a construction company, he had hoped to become a public servant. After two years of not being appointed he also became depressed.

“I am not interested in my job and the only thing that keeps me going is the thought of working for the government, Ko Saw Thet Linn said.

Ko Saw Thet Linn said he left his home town in rural Myanmar with the hope of finding government work but it had been hard to find and he said he became increasingly despondent.

“I even changed jobs within my sector but it did not help. Even though I get a little more salary the pressures of my work make me feel and my coworkers feel depressed,” he said.

Work-related pressure could lead to depression and family expectations could compound the problem Daw Khin Myo Yee said. This could directly affect young male students who feel under enormous pressure to get high grades.

Matriculation student Aung Linn said he had experienced depression as a result of exam stress and his work load.

“All my time was taken up with studying and when I thought of having to go home and study there too without any leisure time, I felt very depressed,” Aung Linn said.

Ko Sai Oakkar, a 25-year-old computer technician, said when he was a student he felt the same way as Aung Linn.

“I was so afraid of failing and I felt so lonely that I wanted to cry. I had so much work to do and it felt like there was no one around to help me,” he said.

Daw Khin Myo Yee said men who felt the same way as Ko Sai Oakkar, Aung Linn and Ko Saw Thet Linn, should talk to other people about their problems and express feelings to people around them.

“Counselling with an expert is the best way to treat depression and men should make sure they stay healthy, get enough exercise and seek support from their families and friends,” Daw Khin Myo Yee said.
U Tun Myint agreed.

“Every morning I talk to my male friends at the tea shop. We share our feelings with each other and as we did so, we realised that we all experienced depression at some point for different reasons. Talking to my friends and meditating helped me to withstand the ups and downs of my moods,” U Tun Myint said.