It is well-known that men die on average 3-4 years before women – but why? We identified three main factors contributing to Years of Life Lost by men compared to women: cardiovascular disease, suicide, and motor vehicle accidents. As a psychologist, I was intrigued by the substantial contribution of suicide.
Treatment plan should specifically target psychological problems that are barriers to occupational, relationship or emotional function, rather than broadly defined issues. Being able to return to work is a substantial benefit for the individual: staying at home for an extended time is damaging to the individual’s self-esteem, coping ability and psychological health. Practice “positive psychology”, emphasizing the outcomes that determine the meaning and success of one’s life and focus on individual’s strengths to reach goals.
Innovative forms of service delivery have the potential to greatly expand the scope of depression intervention. Series of self-management workbooks designed to teach depressed individuals evidence-based skills for mood management, available for free download from http://www.comh.ca/selfcare/.
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