Michael A. Werner, M.D.

With depression you may feel as if you're in a low mood or don't want to engage in activities. This can affect a person's thoughts, behavior, feelings and physical well-being. It may include feelings of sadness, anxiety, emptiness, hopelessness, worthlessness, guilt, irritability, or restlessness.

Depressed people may lose interest in activities that once were pleasurable, or suffer cognitive impairments like difficulty concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions. They may contemplate or attempt suicide. Their weight may change dramatically. Insomnia, excessive sleeping, change in sleep patterns (e.g., waking in the middle of the night or early in the morning and being unable to fall asleep again), fatigue, loss of energy, and aches, pains or digestive problems that are resistant to treatment may be present.

Depressed mood is a normal reaction to certain life events, a symptom of many medical conditions, and a feature of certain psychiatric syndromes. Depression may be a marker for low testosterone in men.

Andropause can show up as irritability or depressed behavior and this can be emotionally draining. There are many treatments for depression, however depleted testosterone should be treated differently than other forms of depression which may require a psychiatric evaluation and psychopharmacological medications.

A major symptom of low testosterone is depression. Depression is typically defined as a two-week period or longer marked by various symptoms. They represent a change from previous functioning. At least one of the symptoms is either a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure. Symptoms are:

(1) depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful).
(2) markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by either subjective account or observation made by others)
(3) significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.
(4) insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day.
(5) psychomotor agitation.
(6) fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.
(7) feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick).
(8) diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (either by subjective account or as observed by others).
(9) recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.

To learn more about whether your depression may be connected to andropause, please call Dr. Werner's office at (646) 380-2700 in NYC, (914) 997-4100 in Westchester, or (203) 831-9900 in Connecticut, or send us an email at info@wernermd.com.