Meeting abstract

https://doi.org/10.24869/spsih.2026.127

Three Faces of the Same Silence: The Male Pattern of Psychological Distress Through Clinical Case Presentations

Mirela Ćelić Ružić ; University Psychiatric Hospital Sveti Ivan, Jankomir 11, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Crkvena 21, 31000 Osijek, Croatia *
Darjan Svetinović ; University Psychiatric Hospital Sveti Ivan, Jankomir 11, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Marijana Knezović Florijan ; University Psychiatric Hospital Sveti Ivan, Jankomir 11, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Karla Laškarin ; University Psychiatric Hospital Sveti Ivan, Jankomir 11, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Vanessa Valentina Đogaš ; University Psychiatric Hospital Sveti Ivan, Jankomir 11, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Sandra Kocijan ; University Psychiatric Hospital Sveti Ivan, Jankomir 11, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Crkvena 21, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Majda Grah ; University Psychiatric Hospital Sveti Ivan, Jankomir 11, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Crkvena 21, 31000 Osijek, Croatia; University of Applied Health Sciences, Mlinarska cesta 38, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

* Corresponding author.

Abstract

Workshop aim: Through three clinical cases, the
“male pattern” of psychological distress described
in the handbook will be presented – externalization
and somatization of distress, self-medication,
and late recognition and delayed help-seeking
under the pressure of masculine norms and
self-stigma. From multiple professional perspectives,
the workshop will discuss how gender-sensitive
recognition and a lower threshold for entering
care can change the course of treatment
and long-term outcomes. The workshop is part of
the presentation of a handbook on men’s mental health. Content and activities: Three cases are
presented that show the same pattern at different
ages and levels of severity. The first case is
a man (42) with “work stress,” anger outbursts,
insomnia, and increased drinking that serves to
deny sadness – masked depression with repressed
grief, successfully treated on an outpatient basis.
The second is a man (38) with withdrawal and
anhedonia without overt suicidal statements,
but with “putting his affairs in order” – hidden
suicidality is recognized by a primary care physician,
who refers him for emergency admission.
The third is a younger man in whom disappointment,
isolation, and chronic cannabis use lead to
psychosis after prolonged self-medication. The
cases are selected to open clinical, therapeutic,
pharmacological, and ethical discussions, as well
as to examine the role of the family and the system
in (not) recognizing problems. At least one
presenter introduces the cases, and others from
different professions provide brief expert perspectives
(up to 10 minutes), while the chairs lead
the discussion and connect the presentations. The
common thread of the three cases – the success
of early recognition, the danger of missing it, and
the cost of prolonged self-medication – leads to
the handbook’s practical messages on earlier and
gender-sensitive approaches to men in psychological
distress.

Keywords

men’s mental health; masked depression; hidden suicidality; self-medication; gender-sensitive screening

Hrčak ID:

352256

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/352256

Publication date:

15.6.2026.

Article data in other languages: croatian

Visits: 0 *