Postpartum Depression:
Some Dads May Be at Risk

Almost as many men as women suffer from postpartum depression, says a study in the journal Pediatrics.

Postpartum depression has gotten a softer face in recent years as celebrity mothers, such as Brooke Shields, who have experienced its devastating symptoms, have begun to share their personal stories.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says postpartum depression can make a person feel restless, anxious, fatigued, and worthless.

With a traditional focus on women and postpartum depression, the NIH states that many women have mood swings right after childbirth, and can be happy one minute and sad the next. Even when their baby is asleep, they may have difficulty sleeping and eating, and feel a little depressed.

If these symptoms begin a few days after delivery and go away after seven to 10 days without treatment, they are in all likelihood the "baby blues," a short-lasting condition that 50 percent to 80 percent of women feel. This usually does not require medical intervention.

A sufferer may experience drastic changes in mood and appetite, excessive preoccupation with a child's health, or intrusive thoughts of harming the baby, according to Mental Health America.

Clinically diagnosed postpartum depression, however, is another story, states the NIH.

The new study shows a little discussed, and still hidden, problem of new fathers who have suffered from postpartum depression in silence all these years.

Huge Life Changes Can Contribute
Researchers examined data from more than 5,000 two-parent families. In all, about 14 percent of mothers and 10 percent of fathers showed signs of moderate or severe postpartum depression.

"The long-standing belief of many people, including physicians, has been that postpartum depression is due to hormone changes in women that take place after childbirth," says study leader James F. Paulson, Ph.D., at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

"Obviously, fathers wouldn't be susceptible to changes of this nature and, probably because of this, haven't been a focus of study," says Dr. Paulson.

Janice Goodman, Ph.D., at the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston agrees that hormonal changes are not the only plausible explanation.

"In both men and women, the huge life changes that go along with having a baby can contribute to depression," she says.

While research suggests that hormonal changes may contribute to the onset of postpartum depression in women, "no definitive hormonal cause" has been identified, Dr. Paulson points out.

Other factors suspected to play a role include a history of depression, fatigue, marital discord, social support, and financial support.

"Factors of this nature certainly can affect fathers, and they probably do in many families," he adds.

For the study, parents completed questionnaires and were interviewed to determine whether they showed symptoms of depression.

Researchers also probed parent-child interactions, such as reading, telling stories, and singing songs — acts considered critically important for positive child development.

Depression in either parent was associated with reduced interaction, Dr. Paulson notes, and "fathers with greater levels of depression interacted with their child less."

Partners May Show Distress Together
Dr. Goodman says the research highlights a link between maternal and paternal postpartum depression. Men whose partners are distressed are at significantly higher risk of experiencing postpartum depression themselves.

Yet postpartum paternal depression typically is not on clinicians' radar, she concedes, and men often have less contact with health-care providers than women do.

However reluctant they may be to seek help, it is important for new dads who are experiencing symptoms of depression to see their primary-care provider or a mental-health specialist for evaluation and treatment, notes Dr. Goodman.

"One important implication for clinicians is, if a woman is identified as depressed during the postpartum period, to ask the father how he's doing and to screen for depression in him," she says.

Always consult your physician for more information.

Online Resources

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Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

Mental Health America

National Institute of Mental Health