Postpartum Depression in Dads

Postpartum depression in dads is commonly cited by the National Institutes of Health as affecting one in ten dads. The mental health of both parents is very important for the well-being of their children, so the prevention of postpartum depression in dads is important for the family.

Prenatal depression in moms can occur as early as the first trimester of a pregnancy, while postpartum depression for dads most often occurs 3 to 6 months after the baby is born. However, some research indicates that in dads, postpartum depression may not develop for up to 12 months after your baby is born. Both low levels of testosterone and abnormally high levels are associated with dad’s postpartum depression, but up to 50 percent of the postpartum depression in dads is made worse by his partner’s depression. Other reasons include feeling disconnected from mom and the baby, a personal or family history of depression, and psychological adjustment to parenthood, and sleep deprivation. Men aren’t supposed to cry or admit weakness by asking for help, so they exhibit fewer outwardly emotional expressions of depression or disassociation than women.

Common traits associated with postpartum depression in dads are angry outbursts, violent behavior, impulsiveness, irritability, low motivation, alcohol or drug use, and playing video games most of the time when at home. Physical symptoms associated with postpartum depression include headaches, muscle aches, stomach or digestive issues, poor concentration, suicidal thoughts, withdrawing from relationships, and working a lot more or less.

The Edinburgh inventory is the most popular test used to screen for depression in women. This inventory could also be used for men, but men often do not attend prenatal or postpartum visits to the doctor with the mother, so there is little opportunity for a doctor to work with a new father and asses the possibility of postpartum depression in the father. There’s usually only one postpartum visit and dads are not specifically invited. The American Academy of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has recently recommended two postpartum visits, but this is still only a small nod toward a more vigorous and effective approach to postpartum care for the mother. Both moms and dads should have unlimited access to physician care for a year after their babies are born. A larger obstacle for testing dads is that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) does not allow obstetricians to treat men on an elective basis. To address the issue of how to test dads, the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) has officially stated that pediatricians should test dads; however, I doubt that such a recommendation will be taken seriously within the next decade or two. The larger problem is that fathers don’t know they could go to the pediatrician to complain of depression.

Dads could undergo psychotherapy or attend couples therapy, but dads would have to recognize the postpartum depression and seek care through other channels than the postpartum visits of partners with obstetricians. This care could include complementary or alternative therapies such as acupuncture and massage. Medication could also be helpful with behavior, mind, or mood improvement, but the primary problem is our healthcare system and our prenatal care model does not include the dad so there is little opportunity for postpartum depression to be recognized and treatment sought.

While treatment for mothers is difficult to find, treatments for fathers is nearly absent in our healthcare system so we have a long way to go before we can actually start treating dads. Better treatment for moms, and at least some kind of treatment for dads would, in the long run, provide great societal benefit. Children would be able to grow up in better home environments if postpartum depression in both moms and dads were adequately addressed.