Male Postpartum Depression: Why Is No One Talking About It?
The father is typically seen as the fortress of the family with his superman cape protectively draping his wife who has just given birth.
It is illegal for him to feel anxiety or depression; he dares not show cowardice – not to his wife and not to his friends either, else he is mistaken for a weakling.
Sadly, such astronomical courage expected of the father forces him to ignore symptoms of male postpartum depression.
He mistakes a condition that urgently requires professional medical attention for a weakness in his character. So, he mans up.
But how real is male postpartum depression in dads? Very real, dear!
A study by the American Journal of Men’s Health reveals that 13.3% of expectant fathers experience heightened degrees of depression levels in their partner’s third trimester.
In addition, a 2007 study reveals that for the first eight weeks after their partner gives birth, an estimated 4%-25% of dads experience depression.
So you see, the baby blues (characteristic of depression in just-delivered mothers) is not exclusively a feminine malady.
Men still experience the equivalent – typically classified as paternal postpartum depression (PPND) – after that beautiful baby arrives.
What increases the chances of paternal depression?
A huge part of treating this condition is having a firm grasp of the contributors to its development. Paternal postpartum depression is more prevalent in young dads.
Also, dads are more likely to experience male postpartum depression if they struggle to build an emotional bond with the baby.