Dr LeCrone
03-24-2006, 03:00 PM
At Larry listens to some dreamy music, his thoughts turn back 20 years. He sees himself as a high school senior, a football player ready to challenge the world.
Presently, Larry, by most people’s standards, is a very successful businessman. He has two teen-age children and has a nice home. He can’t pinpoint the dissatisfaction he is feeling, but somehow he doesn’t feel that his life is what he aspired it to be. Those college dreams and goals were certainly a lot higher than he feels he has achieved. Larry seemed to always focus on the other guy who he felt was one or two steps higher up on the ladder of success. He was beginning to realize that he was past the mid-point of his life span. The thought that he wasn’t going to be able to do all that he had set out for himself left him with a sense of emptiness.
At times his feelings could best be described as confused, frustrated, apathetic, and even panicky. Depression seemed to creep into his daily thoughts. He often felt a sense of restlessness. Just last week he thought about how nice it would be to buy a one-way ticket to Rio de Janeiro.
He felt that his sexual capabilities were at an all-time high, but Mother Nature was beginning to tell him otherwise. This confused him and left him more depressed. Although Larry felt that he had a good marriage, he had recently begun to entertain the thought of an extra-marital affair to see if this would “recharge his batteries.”
He sought other changes, too. His interest in his friends and hobbies had fallen off drastically. Even reading for pleasure had diminished because he often had trouble concentrating. Physically, Larry realized he did not have the stamina he once possessed. Although Larry hadn’t told his wife, he was beginning to worry more and more about his health. Having chest pains and headaches, he had visited his family doctor. Tests showed no physical reasons for his pains and he was told, “It’s just your nerves.” Although he wasn’t aware of it, the emotional strain that he was under drained off a lot of mental energy which had translated into a loss of physical energy.
On top of all this, Larry was having a great deal of difficulty in keeping his weight down. His hair seemed to be falling out so fast that in no time he would be bald, or so it seemed to him. Only last week, his teen-age son while watching an old movie on television had turned to him to ask, “Did they have those old cars back in your time?” Larry really felt that everything was slipping through his fingers so rapidly that he was losing complete control of his life.
Larry’s psychological condition is very common to many men who reach the middle years of their lives. The so-called mid-life crisis, middle-age crazies, or male menopause is being studied in research by mental health professionals. Seen more and more as a very disruptive force in many individuals and their families, scientists and mental health practitioners do not all agree as to the cause, but do feel that there may be a bio-chemical basis to part of the problem. It is known that there is a decrease in certain hormones, such as testosterone, in the aging male. All the answers are not physical, however, and a psychological explanation also is needed in order to understand this problem.
In next week’s column we will be talking further about his problem, and also discussing some things that can help a man to get through his potentially difficult period.
Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1984
Presently, Larry, by most people’s standards, is a very successful businessman. He has two teen-age children and has a nice home. He can’t pinpoint the dissatisfaction he is feeling, but somehow he doesn’t feel that his life is what he aspired it to be. Those college dreams and goals were certainly a lot higher than he feels he has achieved. Larry seemed to always focus on the other guy who he felt was one or two steps higher up on the ladder of success. He was beginning to realize that he was past the mid-point of his life span. The thought that he wasn’t going to be able to do all that he had set out for himself left him with a sense of emptiness.
At times his feelings could best be described as confused, frustrated, apathetic, and even panicky. Depression seemed to creep into his daily thoughts. He often felt a sense of restlessness. Just last week he thought about how nice it would be to buy a one-way ticket to Rio de Janeiro.
He felt that his sexual capabilities were at an all-time high, but Mother Nature was beginning to tell him otherwise. This confused him and left him more depressed. Although Larry felt that he had a good marriage, he had recently begun to entertain the thought of an extra-marital affair to see if this would “recharge his batteries.”
He sought other changes, too. His interest in his friends and hobbies had fallen off drastically. Even reading for pleasure had diminished because he often had trouble concentrating. Physically, Larry realized he did not have the stamina he once possessed. Although Larry hadn’t told his wife, he was beginning to worry more and more about his health. Having chest pains and headaches, he had visited his family doctor. Tests showed no physical reasons for his pains and he was told, “It’s just your nerves.” Although he wasn’t aware of it, the emotional strain that he was under drained off a lot of mental energy which had translated into a loss of physical energy.
On top of all this, Larry was having a great deal of difficulty in keeping his weight down. His hair seemed to be falling out so fast that in no time he would be bald, or so it seemed to him. Only last week, his teen-age son while watching an old movie on television had turned to him to ask, “Did they have those old cars back in your time?” Larry really felt that everything was slipping through his fingers so rapidly that he was losing complete control of his life.
Larry’s psychological condition is very common to many men who reach the middle years of their lives. The so-called mid-life crisis, middle-age crazies, or male menopause is being studied in research by mental health professionals. Seen more and more as a very disruptive force in many individuals and their families, scientists and mental health practitioners do not all agree as to the cause, but do feel that there may be a bio-chemical basis to part of the problem. It is known that there is a decrease in certain hormones, such as testosterone, in the aging male. All the answers are not physical, however, and a psychological explanation also is needed in order to understand this problem.
In next week’s column we will be talking further about his problem, and also discussing some things that can help a man to get through his potentially difficult period.
Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1984