The attitudes expressed by the participants, author Viren Swami explains, “are consistent with the notion that dominant gender role ideologies shape attitudes toward mental health.” It’s been suggested that people have difficulty reconciling notions of strength and toughness with the symptoms of depression, making it more difficult for depressed men to attain understanding and acceptance for their disorder. Men even tend to experience depression differently – the disorder tends to manifest itself as physical discomfort or irritability, as opposed to women’s more emotion-based symptoms. This may be because, for men, an overabundance of “feelings” is a less culturally acceptable mode of expression.