Mood Disorders in Men — Care in Enfield, CT

Depression doesn't always look like crying. In men, a mood disorder often shows up differently — shorter fuse, pulling away from people, working more, feeling restless or empty rather than sad. You're not low, exactly. But something's off. Things that used to be satisfying aren't anymore. You're more on edge. You're harder to be around, and you know it. People around you might chalk it up to stress or just how you are. You might chalk it up to that too. But when irritability and withdrawal become the baseline — when they follow you across situations and don't lift — that's a mood disorder, not a bad attitude. And it's very treatable.

Why Mood Disorders Go Undiagnosed in Men

The diagnostic picture for depression was largely built on research that skewed toward women. So the checklist — tearfulness, expressing sadness, talking about hopelessness — doesn't always match how mood disorders present in men. Men with depression more often show irritability, aggression, risk-taking, substance use, and social withdrawal. They're less likely to seek help, partly because of how they were raised to relate to their own emotions and partly because the symptoms don't match what they've been told depression looks like. The result is that a lot of men in Enfield and across Connecticut are carrying untreated mood disorders for years — sometimes decades — and attributing it to personality, stress, or just life.

What a Psychiatric Evaluation Actually Looks At

Sindhia Shyras, APRN has nine-plus years of psychiatric experience. She's not going to ask you to sit across from her and describe your feelings in clinical terms. She's going to ask practical questions about how you've been functioning — sleep, energy, concentration, work, relationships, motivation, what's gotten harder. She looks at mood history across your whole life, not just the last few months. That full-picture approach is what catches mood disorders that a quick GP visit wouldn't. And it's what distinguishes major depression from dysthymia, from bipolar II, from adjustment disorder — distinctions that matter for treatment.

Getting Better Doesn't Mean Getting Soft

Asking for psychiatric help takes more self-awareness and honesty than most people realize — not less. Medication management for a mood disorder is a medical intervention, the same way treating hypertension is. It doesn't change who you are. For a lot of men who finally get the right treatment, the change is striking: the irritability drops, the energy returns, relationships improve — and they wish they'd done it sooner. Sindhia accepts Aetna, Cigna, Husky Health, Medicaid, United Healthcare, Anthem, ConnectiCare, and self-pay. She sees patients by telehealth across Connecticut and in person at 1 Liberty Sq, Suite 301 in New Britain — 20 minutes down I-91 from Enfield.

Frequently Asked Questions