This is pretty telling in this situation. It had never occurred to me this might be an underlying issue. I was thinking more along the lines of PTSD for some of the anger and physical symptoms. But this seems to fit:
Depression in Men: Why It’s Hard to Recognize and What Helps
As men, we often believe we have to be strong and in control of our
emotions at all times. When we feel hopeless, helpless, or overwhelmed
by despair we tend to deny it or cover it up by drinking too much,
behaving recklessly, or exploding with anger. But depression in men is a
common condition. The first step to recovery is to understand there’s
no reason to feel ashamed. Then you can face the challenge head on and
start working to feel better. .....
[He is from the type of old school that seeks therapy typically only in a severe situation. But that's better than not at all! He does not like directly confronting emotional issues or hearing criticism, really of any sort. This makes it nearly impossible to say "Honey, I think you might be upset or missing something or your ego is acting like a baby right now." Too harsh?
And he is pretty resistant to the idea that it's pretty standard for humans to repeat the patterns of our parents - or to swing on the reaction pendulum to the other unhealthy extreme. Either way, until we have some SERIOUS intervention we usually unconsciously reenact the past. But I digress somewhat. Back to the web site that I selected: ]
Men can experience depression in different ways to women. You may develop the standard symptoms of depression and become sad and withdrawn, losing interest in friends and activities you used to enjoy. Or you may become irritable and aggressive, compulsively working, drinking more than normal, and engaging in high risk activities.Unfortunately, men are far less adept at recognizing their symptoms than women. A man is more likely to deny his feelings, hide them from himself and others, or try to mask them with other behaviors. The three most common signs of depression in men are:
- Physical pain. Sometimes depression in men shows up as physical symptoms—such as backache, frequent headaches, sleep problems, sexual dysfunction, or digestive disorders—that don’t respond to normal treatment.
- Anger. This could range from irritability, sensitivity to criticism, or a loss of your sense of humor to road rage, a short temper, or even violence. Some men become abusive, controlling, verbally or physically abusive to wives, children, or other loved ones.
- Reckless behavior. A man suffering from depression may start exhibiting escapist or risky behavior. This could mean pursuing dangerous sports, driving recklessly, or engaging in unsafe sex. You might drink too much, abuse drugs, or gamble compulsively.
A late night/morning interaction, one of a handful of similar ones:
He is asleep, I am trying to accomplish tasks on my long to do list.
He wakes up and asks:
"What has your attention at 3am?" (it's 2:20am)
"Scrabble. I haven't made a move in days so I don't want to forfeit my games. See?" [I show phone screen to him]
[Long pause]
"Why do you need to do that now when I'm here?"
"Because you were asleep, and I wasn't disturbing you and you weren't interacting with me."
"But you could save that for when I'm not here and you could wake up early and we could discuss what you wanted to discuss earlier today when I didn't have time."
"No one is good or wants to have intense introspective conversations right after waking up and preparing for work."
He exits room without a word, doesn't return for about an hour.
He returns, stands in the doorway, and looks at me typing on my phone.
"Who is wanting your attention now?"
[brief pause] "No one.... Just me." [brief pause]
He begins to leave and close the bedroom door. I respond as he leaves:
"I am sending the nightly work email to my coworkers."
"Why do you play these wordgames with me? "
"I am not playing a game with you. I just answered your question."
"I hate you sometimes."
He closes the door and leaves for the other room. He closes door and sits back down at the computer which he has been on since he left the bedroom.
I get up a few seconds later to check in with him.
"I am not playing games with you, I answered your question just as you asked it."
"Leave."
"All I did was simply answer your question."
"Leave. I am done."
"But I just answered your question, and I clarified it."
I close the door to leave, and before the door is quite shut, he says"
"I will be packed and out by the weekend"
I finish my email, and then head to bed.
He continues to occupy himself on his computer.
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