In 2006,Paul Letourneau of Worcester,Mass,lost his parents,his home and his pet dog.And that August,his lifelong mild depression took a turn for the worse as he became suicidal(有自杀倾向的).
“I said I didn't want to be alive anymore,”Letourneau,67,recalled telling his best friend.
He and his friend had gone for a walk when Letourneau stopped and asked his friend about ways to die painlessly.His friend advised him to admit himself to a hospital.
“When I went back home,physically,I was shaking so much-and emotionally,I couldn't stop,”Letourneau said,“I knew I had to get help.”
For many men,it takes a lot more than feeling down to recognize that they are depressed and then step through the doors of a hospital,or a friend's or relative's home to ask for help.Men who are depressed usually refuse to get appropriate treatment,depression experts and patients say.
“When men get depressed,the depression can be quite severe,”said Dr.lan Cook,professor of psychiatry at the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.“The challenge is getting men to acknowledge that they're depressed.”
Depression affects about 15 million people in the United States,according to the National Institutes of Mental Health,and men get depressed about half as often as women.
“It's unclear how much of this is a reporting bias,”Cook said.“The stigma(耻辱)issues are somewhat different for men than they are for women.”
“Men intend to consider that asking for help is a sign of weakness,but when they can't complete the task of bringing themselves to the Promised Land,they become at risk.” said Steven Lappen,who was once a depression patient.
20. Which of the following about Paul Letourneau is TRUE?
A.He got sick with mild depression in 2006. |
B.He made a very painful choice before he decided to go to the hospital. |
C.He became suicidal because his depression was too hard to cure. |
D.He didn't commit suicide because his friend didn't tell him a painless way. |
21. What does the author mainly want to tell us through Paragraph 5?
A.It takes men patients a lot of money to treat their disease. |
B.Many men patients recognize their disease but refuse to see a doctor. |
C.Men patients would rather get help from doctors than friends or relatives. |
D.Many men patients feel down and refuse to let others know about their disease. |
22. How many women are suffering from depression in the U.S.according to the passage?
A.About 5 million. | B.About 7.5 million. |
C.About 10 million. | D.About 15 million. |
23. The underlined phrase“Promised Land”in the last paragraph refers to________.
A.a state of being mentally health |
B.a place filled with sufferings |
C.a place of interest |
D.a state of death |
24. It can be inferred from the passage that________.
A.reports about men with depression are usually false |
B.men are more likely to become depressed than women |
C.most people with depression have lost their relatives |
D.the actual number of men with depression is larger than reported |