Paternal Postnatal Depression

           

PATERNAL POSTNATAL DEPRESSION:DADDY'S ARE AFFECTED TOO

         

            Are you a new father who recently had a baby and is feeling overwhelmed, ashamed, guilty, disconnected on your little bundled of joy? Most people think that only women are affected with this situation but current research shows men are also affected too. At least 1 in 10 new fathers will experience postnatal paternal depression (PPND), and the truth is you are not alone.This was created to promote/increase awareness of not just for new dads but also for other new fathers who you think is experiencing a hard time coping with their new child.

             So what is Paternal Postnatal Depression or PPND? It is a condition in men/ new fathers that affect their mood and causes depressive symptoms, this happens during the first year of childbirth. 

Why is this getting common in our time?

           Let’s have a look into the different aspects on why depression in men is becoming common in our generation. In terms of behavior, men were likely to hide the symptoms and withdrew from others. Men often doesn’t acknowledge this feeling of hopelessness, sadness or guilt. Men also have different ways of coping through this changes, some men  resort to alcohol, tobacco and drugs as a means of masking the symptoms. Over time, the symptoms becomes severe because the real issue was not being addressed. The ways we live our life nowadays is also different. Current societal expectation of rearing a child can put pressure on dads masculinity as it  is now a shared parental responsibility. In addition, there are also times that both parents work, as compared to the previous ways when fathers discipline their children while mothers’ does most of the caring role.  Some men choose to remain and keep it silent/ hide due to the stigma attached to the illness. Men would be less likely to admit it while other doctors are  less likely to suspect  their distress. The changing role of fathers in the society, especially when wife is the breadwinner in the family and  the husband became  house husband due to income difference.

 Scenario: What could paternal postnatal depression would be like.

            Ben was visited by his mother one afternoon in their house to see her grandchild. She was surprised on what she saw.

Mother: Hi Ben, you look like you are losing weight?

Ben: A bit mom! I haven’t had a good sleep since Dennis has arrived. Susan’s attentions are all with Dennis and we seldom talk as we used to.

Mother: Where is Susan by the way?

Ben: She’s in our room upstairs feeding Dennis. You know what Mom, I noticed that since Dennis was born, Susan doesn’t want to talk with me and every time I offered help, she said “NO” and said “I am the mother; I know exactly what to do.” She still refuses help even when she seems like she is going to drop dead from tiredness. I guess she is right! I love my son but every time I carry him, I feel this huge burden on my shoulder. How am I going to support them especially now that the business is not running smoothly! I’ve been working for 12 hours a day and still don’t think we can meet to pay our long overdue bills. Our credit card has been stretch to the max (will lit a cigarette).

Mother: When did you start smoking?  I guess the stress is catching up with both of you. You can go to Centrelink and speak with welfare assistant. They might help you with your financial difficulty right now. Have you considered consulting a doctor? I am worried about yours and Susan’s health.

Ben: What for? Both of us are doing our best to raise Dennis in the best way we possibly could! And what will our friends say! That we are bad parents? No way!

                                                                     (End of scene)

What are the signs and symptoms of PPND?

1.     Irritability

2.     Feeling low and guilty of becoming a new parent

3.     Anger, restlessness, lost of energy

4.     Poor impulse control

5.     Dissatisfaction in life

6.     Aggression

7.     Easily getting stress over simple things

8.     Obsessing to work = avoiding parenting role

9.     Experiencing physical pain but denying it

10. Wanting to be alone most of the time

11. Denying help or assistance from others when obviously in need.

12. Significant weight loss, loss of appetite

13. Disturbed sleep.

14. Difficulty concentrating in a task

15. Having thoughts of death or suicide.

What makes you vulnerable?
1.     Maternal depression: strongest predictor, most likely a new father will acquire the same condition.
2.     Lack of sleep
3.     Teenage parents, low educational level
4.     Lack of social support
5.     Traumatic birth experience/ prenatal expectation
6.     Personal history of depression
7.     Poor marital relationship
8.     History of drugs and alcohol
9.     Hormonal imbalance = decrease in testosterone, increase in cortisol and prolactin levels.

How is this depression being diagnosed? 

            Like the major depressive disorder, a person must be experiencing 5 or more of the symptoms in the DSM-5, it must include either the depressive mood or loss of interest (anhedonia) over a two week period and affects their level of functioning.

     Reporting to a health professional to seek for an assessment will help explain the condition you are going through. Currently, we are utilizing the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) as a screening tool, its made up of 10 questions.

      Example question on EPDS

I have been able to laugh and see the funny side of things.

        0   As much as I always could

        1    Not quite so much now

        2    Definitely not so much now

        3   Not at all 

Click the video links below to know more about fathers postnatal depression:

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Postnatal Depression Story

PPND

Signs of PPND

Click this support networks to know more information about paternal postnatal depression. 

 

            

         
          What this blog is hoping to achieve is to gather new thoughts, experiences and information from the ones who have undergone and managed their symptoms to benefit others in the group.  The information provided will create an opportunity for new fathers to learn and hopefully shed a light on their experiences to reach out on other affected fathers. Through this dialogue, the input each one made or left in the blog will enlighten others to gather some insight regarding their own experience and develop coping strategies. This way, resilience and strength will be promoted to help enable others feel that they're not alone, and be supported by other fathers with their empowering words and achievements to better understand this transition to fatherhood.      

“Just like other illnesses, depression can be treated so that people can live happy, active lives.”

                           Tom Bosley

References:

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Bergström, M. (2013). Depressive Symptoms in New First-Time Fathers:   Associations with               Age, Sociodemographic Characteristics, and Antenatal Psychological Well-Being. Birth:                 Issues In Perinatal Care, 40(1), 32-38 7p. doi:10.1111/birt.12026

Beyondblue.(2015). Postnatal depression. Beyondblue. Retrieved October 5, 2015 from                       https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/postnatal-depression

Bosley,T(n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. RetrievedOctober 5, 2015, from http://www.brainyquote .

com/quotes/authors/t/tom_bosley.html

Cox, J. (2005). Postnatal depression in fathers. Lancet, 366: 982.

Edward, KL; Castle, D; Mills, C; Davis, L; Casey, J. (2015). An integrated review of paternal             depression. American journal of Mens Health,9(1), 26-p34

Goodman, J. H. (2004). Paternal postpartum depression, its relationship to maternal postpartum           depression, and implications for family health. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 45(1), 26- 35.

Kim, P., & Swain, J. E. (2007). Sad dads: paternal postpartum depression. Psychiatry (Edgmont          (Pa.: Township)), 4(2), 35-47.

Koh, Y. W., Chui, C. Y., Tang, C. S. K., & Lee, A. M. (2014). The Prevalence and Risk Factors   of   Paternal Depression from the Antenatal to the Postpartum Period and the Relationships                   between Antenatal and Postpartum Depression among Fathers in Hong Kong. Depression               Research and Treatment, 2014, 11. doi: 10.1155/2014/127632

Nishimura, A., & Ohashi, K. (2010). Risk factors of paternal depression in the early postnatal              period in Japan. Nursing & Health Sciences, 12(2), 170-176. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-                                2018.2010.00513.x

Ramchandani, P., Stein, A., Evans, J., & O'Connor, T. G. (2005). Paternal depression in the                 postnatal period and child development: a prospective population study. Lancet,365(9478),                 2201-2205. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(05)66778-5

Ramchandani, P. G., Stein, A., O'Connor, T. G., Heron, J., Murray, L., & Evans, J. (2008).                 Depression in men in the postnatal period and later child psychopathology: a population cohort           study. Journal Of  The American Academy Of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry, 47(4), 390-398.

Schumacher, M., Zubaran, C., & White, G. (2008). Bringing birth-related paternal depression to the   fore. Women and     Birth, 21(2), 65-70. doi: DOI:10.1016/j.wombi.2008.03.008

Sethna, V., Murray, L., Netsi, E., Psychogiou, L., & Ramchandani, P. G. (2015).   Paternal                   Depression in the PostnatalPeriod and Early Father–Infant Interactions. Parenting:Science &               Practice, 15(1), 1-8 8p. doi: 10.1080/15295192.2015.992732

Stadtlander, L. (2015). Paternal Postpartum Depression. International Journal Of   Childbirth             Education, 30(2), 11-13 3p.