===== Depression and Anxiety in Boys =====

[[start|« Back to Mental Health of Boys]]

**Conditions often look different in boys (anger, irritability, withdrawal)**
  * National Institute of Mental Health, NIMH / 2024: [[https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/men-and-mental-health|Men and Mental Health: Signs and Symptoms]]
  * Mayo Clinic, Mayo Staff / 2024: [[https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/teen-depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20350985|Teen Depression Symptoms: Differences in Boys]]

**Symptoms are frequently missed or misdiagnosed as "behavioral issues"**
  * Child Mind Institute, Ehmke / 2025: [[https://childmind.org/article/is-it-depression-or-aggression/|Is It Depression or Aggression?]]

**Boys may "act out" distress rather than verbalizing sadness**
  * American Psychological Association, APA / 2024: [[https://www.apa.org/monitor/2024/01/men-boys-mental-health|Breaking the Silence: Boys and Emotional Expression]]

**Physical symptoms (headaches, stomach aches) as signs of anxiety**
  * Johns Hopkins Medicine, JHM / 2024: [[https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/anxiety-disorders/anxiety-in-children|Physical Signs of Anxiety in Children]]

**The link between executive function and emotional regulation**
  * Cambridge University Press, Journal of Intelligence / 2024: [[https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-intelligence|Executive Function Deficits and Emotional Regulation]]