Can Dads Get Postpartum Depression?
Happy homes with rats, chinchillas and lizards
by Emily Bees
James, 35, expected the birth of his daughter to ring in the happiest time of his life. It didn’t. “I was scared, nervous, preoccupied, worried, couldn’t sleep and overate,” says James, who already had three stepchildren when his first child was born. “I kind of felt like a dad for three years before that. But interestingly enough, I never felt depressed until after ‘my’ daughter was born.”
His experience is common. A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found postpartum depression is a significant problem for both mothers and fathers. According to the data, 14 percent of mothers and 10 percent of fathers suffered symptoms of depression after the birth of their child.
“There is a connection between becoming a father and depression,” says Jeremy Schneider, a marriage and family therapist who specializes in helping people overcome depression. “I think [depression] is more likely to occur to new parents including new fathers because they have no idea what to expect when they become fathers for the first time.”
Schneider believes most parents experience some degree of the “baby blues,” a sense of sadness that life is different, coupled with a lack of sleep and a feeling of being overwhelmed. Paternal postpartum depression occurs when the baby blues last for months instead of weeks.
“That’s when partners and families need to try and help out,” Schneider says...
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Emily Bees is a freelance writer.