Moody Male Syndrome (MMS)

I'd like to start by saying I am not writing this because I am female, think one sex is better than the other, nor am I out to get men. What initiated the idea to write about this topic was that I noticed my spouse getting easily irritated on a monthly basis. After talking to my friends it seems that all men have mood swings at one time or another during every month. There was a common pattern here and I had to know if there was a reason or connection to all this moodiness. Thus, I decided to do a little research and my findings were surprisingly enlightening.

Such a syndrome actually exists! Dr. Gerald Lincoln discovered this syndrome while observing male animals in the early 2000s and gave it the name "Irritable Male Syndrome." Jed Diamond, psychotherapists, brought more light to this discovery when he wrote the book "The Irritable Male Syndrome," based on research he did on 10,000 men. He found that just as women get bothered from stress, chemical changes in their bodies, and hormonal adjustments, men also get moody. This actually makes a lot of sense, why wouldn't men react the same as women? However, a lot of people believe that women just get moody from their "monthly cycles." What I came to find out is that men also have hormonal cycles that their body goes through, from a daily, weekly, to monthly basis. During these times, and from other possible causes, the men are easily aggravated, seem to be detached, or even sometimes are violent. It is actually considered a very serious condition amongst some doctors, psychologists, and therapists because if left untreated the man can suffer from deep depression.

There are many factors that can cause moodiness, but here is a list that I have compiled after doing some investigating into this topic:

1. Hormonal Changes/Imbalance
2. Stress from work, home, etc.
3. Chemical changes in the brain and body.
4. A sense of no longer knowing oneself.
5. Weight Changes
6. Eating habits or disorders.
7. Insufficient amount of sleep.

Irritable Male Syndrome is actually treated very similarly to depression and/or premenstrual syndrome, in which case you want to make sure that if you are a man, or have a man in your life, that you are (or he is) eating right, expressing feelings instead of keeping them locked up inside, trying not to take anything that may affect the chemicals in the brain or body, getting enough sleep, and building self-esteem. It is essential that you do not keep feelings bottled up inside, that is when depression can actually set in. In addition, make sure you can eliminate as much unneeded stress as possible from your life.

From a woman's point of view on how to help, show that moody man that you care and try to help relieve some stress. Help him feel good about who he is and let him know you are happy to be with him. If you find that he is falling into depression, get professional help as soon as possible. However, not everything can be cured or prevented and sometimes a man is going to be more irritable at one point than other because of reasons that no one can control. At that point, I suppose all I would recommend saying is, "I know what you are going through because women go through it too."

This was a great segment from the early show.

Hopefully this Moody Man Syndrome analysis has shed some light on why men become easily irritable and to also make a point that they actually do on a regular basis. I know for me it definitely answered some questions and will help me relate to my husband a little better. It would seem that the sexes are not so different after all. Therefore, next time the man in your life wants to give you a hassle about your monthly mood swings, just tell him he has a mood cycle of his own and if he doesn't believe you just have him take a look at this lens.

Have you or anyone in your life been affected by IMS? Did you learn anything different or new from this article?