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 https://doi.org/10.47488/dhrp.v3iS2.88 

 

 
 

 
DHR Proceedings ǀ http://dhrproceedings.org 40 2023, Vol. 2 No. S2 40-44 

 

COMMENTARY 

The Effects of COVID-19 on the Increasing 

Trend of Depression in Males 
 

Diana Ballardo1,2, Aaliyah Coronado1,4, Naomi Flores1,4, Brianna Guerrero1,3, Cesar Hernandez1,2, 

Ramiro Moreno1,4, Fernanda Ortiz1,4, Ashely Reyes1,3, Amelie Reyna1,2, Rodolfo Rodriguez1,3, 

Emilio Saucedo1,2, Ramiro Tijerina1,2 

 
1 3rdAnnual Junior Clinical Research Internship, South Texas Academy for Education & Training in Research, DHR Health  

   Institute for Research and Development 
1 Lyndon B. Johnson High School, TX 

2 Progreso High School, TX 

3 Hidalgo Early College High School, TX 

 

Received: June 29, 2023 

Accepted for publication: November 1, 2023  

Published: November 16, 2023

 
 
Introduction 

 
According to the National Institute of Mental 

Health, in 2020, approximately 1.3 million males in 

the United States had at least one major depressive 

episode.1 Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a 

common and serious mental illness that negatively 

affects how a person feels, the way they think, and how 

they act.2 People suffering from depression may 

experience persistent feelings of sadness, increased 

apathy towards previously enjoyed pastimes, and even 

suicidal ideations.2,3 While depression can manifest 

for a variety of reasons, this paper will focus on the 

effects of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease) on 

depression in males.4 

 

Demographics 
 

Men are less likely to seek help, be 

diagnosed, and in turn, be more likely to commit 

suicide due to untreated depression at a rate four times 

higher than women.5,6 Males are not only at a social 

but psychological disadvantage because of the stigma 

that is associated with depression.6 This stigma is 

based on social constructs, gender roles, stereotypes, 

and traditional ideologies about masculinity and 

mental health in men.7 These barriers are usually 

associated more than anything with the fear of giving 

the appearance of a weak man, having no self-reliance, 

and not being in emotional control.7 There is an  

 

apparent disparity between male and female rates of 

depression and should be acknowledged.6 

 

The Effect of COVID-19 on Mental Health 

 
COVID-19 is a mild to moderate respiratory 

disease that originated in Wuhan, China. Its primary 

mode of transmission is through infected respiratory 

droplets and aerosol particles. Most healthy 

individuals can recover, but those with weakened 

immune systems can become seriously ill.8,9 

 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the modern 

world saw just how ill-prepared it was to deal with a 

highly infectious virus and the deaths that came along 

with it.10 A world-wide “lockdown” was enacted after 

COVID-19 gained its pandemic status.11,12 In this 

period, people were only allowed to leave their homes 

when necessary and social gatherings were banned, 

limiting the number of people that could be in a 

confined space at any given time.12 The restrictions 

placed on people during “lockdown” brings us to the 

topic of isolation and the role it played in straining the 

mental health of the general populous.13 Isolation in 

and of itself does not cause depression. The 

psychological effects of not being able to interact with 

others make someone more susceptible to 

depression.14,15 An article published by Harvard states 

how the rates of loneliness in America have risen due, 

in part, because of the pandemic.16 



Special Edition: Junior Clinical Research (2023), Vol. 3 No. S2 
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DHR Proceedings ǀ http://dhrproceedings.org 41 2023, Vol. 2 No. S2 40-44 

As misinformation became more and more 

widespread during the pandemic it caused fear to surge 

among civilians.17 Fear can stem from many places but 

in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, an exponential 

increase in cases and deaths along with 

misinformation and constant updates prompted people 

to become fearful.18 Anxiety is a prime catalyst for the 

prevalence of depression as their symptoms overlap; 

for example, in the case of GAD (General Anxiety 

Disorder) and MDD, many of their criteria share 

similar items such as dyssomnia, fatigue, low 

concentration, etc.19 In a study published in the Journal 

of Affective Disorders, doctors and scientists 

conducted a set of tests called the CDRS-R (Children 

Depression Rating Scale-Revised) and PARS 

(Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale) that each looked into 

both symptoms and severity of illnesses. The study 

showed how there were many symptoms that either 

correlated with each other or had some form of effect 

on each other (Figure 1).19 Symptoms that fit both 

disorders included physical complaints, morbid 

ideation, anhedonia, impaired school work, social 

withdrawal, and sleep disturbance.19 As a cause of 

these similarities, the ability of one disorder to 

transition/develop into the other is more apparent.  

 

All throughout the pandemic, there was a 

spike in not only reported cases but also deaths.19 As 

of now, the total number of deaths has reached an 

astronomical high of 1,132,872.20 In many of these 

deaths, people were directly affected either by the loss 

of a friend, family member, etc. Death, on the occasion 

of a person dear to you, can have negative effects on 

not only a person's physical well-being but most of all 

an individual's mental state. Grieving individuals tend 

to not receive the proper care from psychiatrists 

whether by misattribution of the symptoms or because 

of not administering proper care.21 The likelihood of a 

person acquiring MDD is a lot higher when in the 

grieving process as they may blame themselves, feel 

worthless, and have prolonged suicidal ideation.21 

This is important to monitor if these symptoms persist 

after 2 months, as most cases of long-term 

bereavement are marginal indicators of MDD.21 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 1(a) Figure 1(b) 

 

Figure 1(a). Symptom clusters with grouping via 

both tests CARS-R (Black) and PARS (White).  

Figure 1(b). Symptoms with community analysis 

clustering, in this instance, the black circles 

correlate with depressive disorder whilst the white 

with anxiety. The grey circles had clustering to 

neither group.19 

 

Depression Before COVID-19 
 

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, research 

about men and their mental health was limited, but 

post-pandemic research on this topic has brought upon 

a substantial amount of awareness regarding the 

exclusion of men in the conversation about mental 

health.22 According to the National Center for 

Biotechnology Information, males were disregarded 

psychologically on account to the normalization of 

gender differences that society has situated amongst 

the majority of individuals involved. Reports show 

that men with major depressive disorder (MDD) are 

2.3% less prevalent than women with MDD over a 12-

month period.23 On the contrary, this could lead to a 

common misconception that the results are deemed 

inaccurate because males are inclined to avoid any 

form of care provided by doctors. This matter in 

question revolves primarily around masculinity 

barriers that many individuals have incorporated such 

as the lack of financial support and/or care.7 Therefore, 

men seek self-aid instead of professional help that 

causes worsening of their current situation.  

 

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on 

Depression 
 

The COVID-19 pandemic phenomenon 

introduced a new deadly virus worldwide leading to a, 

similarly, international pandemic requiring countries 

to fall into a two and a half year lockdown. This virus 

primarily attacks a person's respiratory system; 

however, it was found to affect other organ systems 

such as the cardiac and digestive systems.24 More 

notably, COVID-19 showed significant effects on a 

patient’s central nervous system as physical 

manifestations ranging from headaches, encephalitis, 

convulsions, meningitis, including psychological 

issues such as depression as a result of chemical 



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DHR Proceedings ǀ http://dhrproceedings.org 42 2023, Vol. 2 No. S2 40-44 

imbalances from the virus’ attachment style to ACE2 

(Figure 2).24 Persons with a history of mental illnesses 

suffered repercussions due to the lockdown, as mental 

health became less of a priority than COVID-19 

treatment, excising the probability of receiving proper 

care.25 It became evident that the lack of effective 

treatment and care played a key role in depression-

related cases, and in worst-case scenarios, deaths. In 

the wake of the pandemic came a rise of mental health 

issues with new light shed and as Jim E. Wallis states, 

“Sometimes it takes a natural disaster to reveal a social 

disaster.”25  

 

 
Figure 2. Chemical correlation between COVID-

19, SARS-CoV-2, and its effect on ACE-2 

throughout the nervous system leading to 

depression. The SARS-CoV-2 binds to the body's 

ACE-2 causing an inflammatory response to occur 

exposing the brain to dysregulation of hormones 

initiating a person's symptoms of depression.24 

 

 

Impact by Age Group  
 

COVID-19 infects individuals across all 

different demographics, a similar situation can be 

documented with the event of the “quarantine” process 

and its association with the increase in depression 

cases. Despite that fact, however, there is considered 

to be a prevalence in cases among male, young adults. 

For instance, in a study conducted from April 2020 

through February 2021, the increase in cases of MDD 

was measured through the link of solitude, where 

many individuals were expected to remain at home or 

away from others causing many to be alone or cut–off 

from social interaction, in the CDC recommended 

social isolation.12 Upon further examination, it was 

deduced that the individuals who were experiencing 

the most loneliness, which was later revealed to be 

young adult men, were subject to report 14 times more 

cases of MDD.26 Furthermore, as previously known 

data states, MDD and its symptoms are more likely to 

present themselves across a younger age pool.26 Thus, 

this information provides an alignment that is parallel 

to the finding of its prevalence in young adult males, 

thereby qualifying the data acquired. Figure 3 shows 

the prevalence of depression symptoms on a global 

scale with data from a study conducted across 114 

different countries measuring depressive symptoms of 

men of varying age groups. Based on the information 

given, the majority of all countries’ men faced 

depression to a certain capacity, to which, most of 

those men were recorded to have a rate of at least 1:4 

men having experienced symptoms of depression.27  

Furthermore, correlating the graph to a specific age 

range, the study yielded that most of the men who 

contributed to the study were of ages 18-24 as they 

expressed symptoms at a greater degree, whereas, 

when the age increased, the number of depressive 

symptoms decreased.27 Simply put, the research, 

provided by the British Medical Journal, gives insight 

into how the pandemic increased the cases of adult 

men at large scale. Data from both studies indicates the 

COVID-19 pandemic did, in fact, have a frequent 

effect on the age group of young adult males. As the 

first conducted study was able to be supported by 

previous researched data and the second study 

provided evidence across  a significant number of 

countries, they both served the purpose of proving that 

COVID-19 did not only affect men as whole, but they 

proved it had a significant influence on young, adult 

men. 

 

 
Figure 3. Choropleth map based on a poll of 115 

countries from May 2021 to September 2021. The 

map provides statistics on a global scale to further 

elucidate the number of men facing feelings of 

depression.  

 

Treatments 
 

Treatments for depression include 

psychological treatments, therapies and medications. 

The duration of treatment is divided into 2 phases: 

acute treatment lasting 6-8 weeks and the continuation 

treatment lasting from 4-9 months.28 There are also 

different types of therapy to deal with depression. 

There is cognitive behavioral therapy and systemic 

therapy.29 Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on 

how thoughts and beliefs influence individual actions 



Special Edition: Junior Clinical Research (2023), Vol. 3 No. S2 
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DHR Proceedings ǀ http://dhrproceedings.org 43 2023, Vol. 2 No. S2 40-44 

and systemic therapy focuses more on the relationship 

with external stimuli, including family and friends.28 

Antidepressants help relieve the symptoms of 

depression and include doxepin, dosulepin, 

citalopram, among others. Some medications are 

short-acting but most are lifestyle medications that 

require long-term compliance.30 

 

Conclusion 

 
In review of the research available, there is a 

direct correlation between the increase in depression 

cases and the COVID-19 pandemic. The overall data 

found throughout the literature reveals why males 

were greatly impacted but also how this prevalence 

came to be. The importance of male depression is an 

overall dilemma faced by many generations and 

nationalities.   

 

Acknowledgements 

 
Monica Betancourt-Garcia, MD, Program Director; 

Melissa Eddy, MS, Program Manager  

 

Funding 

 
Funded by DHR Health Institute for Research & 

Development; DHR Health; Region One ESC 

GEARUP College Ready, Career Set!; Region One 

ESC GEARUP College Now, Career Connected; 

Region One ESC PATHS; Region One ESC Upward   

Bound Math & Science; Benavides ISD; and Jubilee 

Academy-Brownsville 

 

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