The article presents the concept of atypical symptoms of depression occurring in men. An important source of the concept is the experience of the programme of diagnosis and treatment of depression which was carried out on Gotland (Sweden) in the 1980s. The programme, which was addressed to family practitioners, led to a reduction of suicidal behaviours in women. Among men, these behaviours did not change. It was assumed that one of the reasons for such an outcome could be a different picture of depression in both sexes. These differences could be responsible for the fact that depression in men remains undiagnosed and untreated more often than among women, leading to an increased number of suicides. Increased impulsivity, aggressive behaviour, substance abuse (alcohol, drugs, nicotine), taking risky behaviours (risky driving, casual sex) and suppression of emotions were distinguished among the dominant symptoms of male depression. The rigorous submission to the traditional male cultural roles is often mentioned as the cause of atypical depression in men. These standards refer to resistance, strength, competition, control over and suppression of feelings as well as the need to provide for the family. This article presents the most common methods to study male depression, i.e. the Gotland Male Depression Scale (GMDS) by Rutz, the Male Depression Risk Scale (MDRS-22) by Rice et al. and the Masculine Depression Scale (MDS) by Magovcevic and Addis. The results of research conducted with the use of these methods are also shown. The paper ends with reflections on further research on the problem of male depression and the controversy surrounding this issue.