Postpartum depression in men?

[LydiaNN]

All of a sudden, I am hearing stories about the "unrecognized" occurence of postpartum depression in fathers. Is this really an accurate statement? I know men can experience anxiety and all the same psychosocial concerns new Moms have. It seems like claiming they have postpartum depression, though, is ignoring the physiological factors at play in PPD.

[rph3664]

This statement is a bit generalized as well as sounding sexist. There are responsible men out there who look forward to and accept the responsibilities of marriage and family. Not all try to avoid it. We should try to avoid perpetuating stereotypes. JMHO

True, and there are probably just as many women who feel the same way.

I've heard of men having morning sickness (and this seems to be more common when the woman does not) and experiencing labor pains. The first time I heard of the former, it was, of all people, the actor Lou Ferrigno!

:hlk: :barf01:

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

True, and there are probably just as many women who feel the same way.

I've heard of men having morning sickness (and this seems to be more common when the woman does not) and experiencing labor pains. The first time I heard of the former, it was, of all people, the actor Lou Ferrigno!

:hlk: :barf01:

Wouldn't that be a conversion disorder and not necessarily pseudo-PPD in a male?

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

PPD certainly is the wrong term, but could a man get freaked at the overwhelming changes in his life with the birth of a baby, including becoming, for obvious reasons, a lot less "important" than he was?

Heck, yeah!

It's an incredibly stressful event for everyone, the new little human who is frightened at being forced from his warm, dark, comfy place, the mom who doesn't sleep for another, oh, two years, and the dad, who is now responsible for this squalling, dependent, adorable critter. And the mom. Feminism aside, there is a strong drive for the man to provide and protect (thank goodness!), and that awareness of his new, expanded, and heavy responsibility has to have an effect on him.

[spenmom]

I love that we are discussing this! I think, like most of you, that calling it post-partum depression for a man is maybe not the best label. Just like a new job, moving, or a death in the family, having a baby is a huge stress on everyone involved. Stress, even when good, can lead to symptoms of depression. While in some cases it may simply be situational and related to lack of sleep (plus figuring out how you are going to provide for another person), I think it is entirely possible that a man who is predisposed to depressive episodes could develop one after the birth of a child. However, I can see how some practitioners would dismiss his symptoms (in the unlikely event that he sought help), and therefore, we need to be aware that the stress of a baby affects mom AND dad.

I've seen this in my own life after having a baby who spent several weeks in the NICU. My poor husband ran around crazed trying to work and be at the hospital for me and the baby, plus be there for our older son. He didn't develop depression, per se, but the stress was enormous and there was a definite toll taken on his health; six months later he was diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer. Not fun.

So, my question is this: In this era where men are as involved as possible when a baby is born, how can we as healthcare workers be more sensitive to their emotional/mental health needs? What signs should we look for that might signal situational depression turning into something more ominous, versus simply lack of sleep from a new baby?

Interesting discussion, and thanks for any answers you can give to my questions.