Postpartum depression strikes dads, too

by Susan Wagner (Subscribe to Susan Wagner's posts) Oct 13th 2008 11:00AM

Categories: Newborns, Just For Dads, Medical Conditions

Thanks to widespread attention from the media and the medical establishment, we're all aware of the risk of postpartum depression. We know what to watch for in ourselves and in our girlfriends after the baby comes, and we know how important it is to get help before the "baby blues" turn into something more serious.

But it's not just new moms who are at risk -- new dads can suffer from postpartum depression, too. And it may be more common than you would imagine. According to Will Courtenay, a San Francisco, California-based psychotherapist, and a leading expert on paternal postpartum depression, "Each day in the U.S., 1,000 new dads become depressed, and according to some studies that number is as high as 3,000. That's as many as one in four news dads who become depressed."

While a variety of factors can trigger postpartum depression in new dads, there are things to watch for: dads of high-need babies (with colic, for example) may be at more risk, as will the partners of women who are prone to depression. And of course any parent with a history of depression prior to the birth of a baby should be prepared for a return of the depression once the baby arrives.

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Comments (1)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Keri 10-13-2008 @ 2:32PM

Uhm. Yeah. Finally get the world to acknowledge the hormonally and chemically induced postpartum in women and now men are jumping on the bandwagon? Depression occurs in men and women alike. ONLY women can actually be physiologically "postpartum". The term refers to having just given birth. Until men figure out how to conceive, carry a child in-utero and deliver...Sorry..not eligible to have postpartum depression. Sheesh.

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