Irritable Male Syndrome

Do you know a cranky guy? A guy of a certain age (as in middle) who appears angry at …..well at the world, basically. I’ve always thought of this as acting like a Cranky Dad – loud, annoyed, impatient.  

Therapist, Jed Diamond, author of Male Menopause, has another name for it: Irritable Male Syndrome. Wikipedia explains IMS as this:

The Irritable Male Syndrome (IMS) is a recently-coined term for a set of symptoms thought to be caused by a drop in testosterone levels in male mammals. It is a striking feature in male seasonally breeding mammals associated with the end of the mating season. These symptoms are similar to those of the so-called male menopause (also known as viropause or andropause).

In humans IMS is defined as involving the hormonal, physiological, and chemical changes that occur in all men generally between the ages of 40 and 55, though it can occur as early as 35 or as late as 65. These changes are considered to affect hormonal, physical, psychological, interpersonal, sexual, and nutritional aspects of men’s health.

I’m not a therapist, but I have watched my 41-year-old boyfriend struggling for awhile now and some of these signs are evident in his behavior. I’d never heard of Male Menopause before today, but it sure explains a lot – if not with his behavior than maybe with other middle aged men that I’ve known. 

We might joke, “Oh male menopause, ha ha….,” whatever, but men have a habit of shoving their bad feelings down deep, trying their hardest to be “manly”, to suffer in silence. If my man is suffering, I want him to find some relief. 

If you are interested in more information, please look here. Or pick up Jed Diamond’s book Irritable Male Syndrome.