New Fathers Can Get Postpartum Depression Too

Filed in archive News , Studies on August 8, 2006

Lots of people have heard of postpartum depression for new mommies, but did you know that new daddies can also get depressed after a new baby is born?

According to an article on FoxNews.com, about 14 percent of mothers and 10 percent of fathers experience moderate to severe postpartum depression.

Postpartum depression is characterized as severe sadness, feelings of failure, withdrawal from friends and family, and thoughts of suicide. Symptoms of postpartum depression often shows up in susceptible parents two to three weeks after birth and can last up to a year if untreated.

Dr. James F. Paulson, PhD of the Center for Pediatric Research at the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia and his colleagues write that postpartum depression in new fathers is "strikingly high". They reviewed data from over 5000 two-parent families with babies under nine months of age. The researchers found that depression is twice as common in new fathers as it is in the general adult male population in the United States.

The fact that postpartum depression is on the rise for both sexes is sobering news. Researchers note that babies born to parents afflicted with postpartum depression are less likely to be breastfed or put to bed on their backs as a means of preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). At the same time, babies of depressed parents are more likely to be put to sleep with a bottle. Depressed fathers are less likely to interact with the baby or support the baby's mother.

Men and women often express depression in different ways. While women who are dealing with depression tend to look sad and upset, men tend to be angry and irritable, which may make it harder for others to realize that depression is a problem.

Paulson's article on postpartum depression in fathers appears in the August 2006 issue of Pediatrics.

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