Male Menopause, Irritability & Mood Swings

No longer the sole domain of women, Gail Sheehy, author, details the psychology of men over 40 in her book, Understanding Men's Passages: Discovering the New Map of Men's Lives. I haven't read the book yet, but I've been a fan of Sheehy's for years after reading her first, groundbreaking work, Passages. While the reviews are mixed, I offer it hear for those interested in a "cradle to grave map of contemporary American male life."

From Publishers Weekly ...

"The years after 40 offer men a "second adulthood," declares Sheehy, a chance to reinvent themselves. But first they must shift from competing to connecting, from incessant striving for external rewards to a quest for inner fulfillment through meaningful pursuits, after determining what they really want of the second half of their lives.... She probes men's feelings about death, spiritual hollowness, empty nest syndrome, separation anxieties, their envy of their empowered working wives, pre-retirement jitters and waning sexual potency. There are enough fresh angles in this searching exploration of male malaise to help men tailor their goals and dreams to real-life circumstances."