Irritable Male Syndrome

Disclosure: I am not compensated by or affiliated with Mr. Diamond’s Organization. Jed Diamond takes a holistic approach to a seeping epidemic with “The Irritable Male Syndrome: Managing the Four Key Causes of Male Depression.” Rather than a predictable direction of “this is IMS, here’s how you get rid of it,” Diamond discusses all factors surrounding and contributing to the irritable male syndrome (IMS.) Diamond’s book deals not only with IMS, but with life transitions and how men’s social roles form and evolve. Diamond urges an examination of the biological and social context of men, including the upbringing of boys and their initiation into manhood. Stress, biological changes, and perpetual devaluation of men is feeding a growing infestation of irritable male syndrome and breeding a new generation of irritable males.

Andropause may remain a subject of conceptual debate among healthcare professionals; however, Diamond has experienced IMS and freely shares the intimate details of his struggles. This unabashed vulnerability may be why men are willing to risk exposing their own fears in working with Diamond, and why the use of personal stories throughout the book is effective. Make no mistake – this book is not all stories and no action – “points of understanding” provide a framework from which readers explore the core issues involved (this may speak to a systematic approach to problem solving that many men are comfortable with.)

You will have to read the final chapter for Diamond’s ultimate motivations for this work, but the reader can immediately appreciate Diamond’s philosophy and genuine concern in the root causes of the problem. Diamond even exercises beliefs that will take aback many therapists and patients – that happiness and unhappiness can coexist, and talking about problems don’t necessarily lead you to solutions. As a woman who has neither IMS (although I could identify with many symptoms) nor live with a man with IMS, I still value many kernels of “a-ha!” wisdom readily applicable to my own life.

Irritable Male Syndrome, when untreated, creates very real social problems that we have become familiar with via the evening news. Violence, aggression, and suicide are bred from untreated IMS. The story of 15-year old Josh touched me deeply, for I can remember a time when I went through similar feelings of worthlessness, despair, and anger. Josh’s story was painful to read, for it demonstrates that children today are subject to very harsh lessons that we would not bear to articulate.

Diamond does not shy from the controversial subjects, including media portrayal of man (“oppressor”,) symbolic castration of men in society (sperm donors,) and women’s valuation of men (resource/status provider.) I am ambivalent to such dissection of these social issues and how these relate to IMS. On the one hand, understanding the larger context of IMS is important. On the other hand, readers may become engulfed in the enormity of these issues and even feel distracted or overwhelmed by the “big, messy situation.” Still, I prefer to be overwhelmed by an ambitious undertaking than underwhelmed by reductionism.

Diamond’s book is important not only to readers who have personal experiences with irritable male syndrome, but to anyone who wishes to understand how threads of our biological and social conditioning are tightly woven into the tapestry of mental illness.