PND for Men - It's Serious!

I have been thinking about my husband tonight and wondering how many other guys out there are suffering unknowingly with Post Natal Depression? I thought I would read up a bit about it and see how common it is and whether the symptoms/treatments are much different for men and women.




I have just read an old article from the Daily Mail about a Father who had severe post natal depression. (You can read it here.) He tried to keep it together for so long that he ended up suicidal with psychotic tendencies. He was admitted to hospital for 6 weeks where he received drug treatment and therapy. It took a further 6 weeks once he returned home to start building a relationship with his wife and son.

Once I started reading about these cases of male pnd, I find it quite disturbing and distressing that the medical profession don't give any advice or warning about it to families when they have a baby. My husband went to the Drs three times and each time they told him he wasn't depressed. He was just adjusting to life with a young family and a full time job with little sleep. He also had the pressure of my pnd to cope with. Seeing things from his perspective now, I don't know how he did it. Not only that but I'm not surprised he has developed it as well, the load on him must have been immense!

What are the signs and symptoms of PND in men?Similar to mums experiencing PND, feelings of depression, mood swings, and lethargy are prevalent for dads. Both women and men may feel they are not bonding with the new baby, and may resent its presence and be unreasonably frustrated or infuriated by its crying. They may feel they are merely "going through the motions" of caring for their child, without any emotional input.
They may have difficulty sleeping despite their exhaustion, and become upset at the smallest things. They can't function "normally" as their thoughts are overwhelmed by feelings of self-doubt, guilt, and hopelessness, and they may have fears of harming themselves or the baby. They may lose their appetites as well, and feel like all of the pleasure has gone out of activities they used to enjoy.
But certain gender-prevalent depressive symptoms have also been identified as occurring more often in men than in women, as Madsen and Juhl reported - symptoms such as anger attacks, inability or unwillingness to show affection, self-criticism, alcohol and drug abuse. These symptoms can also relate to PND in men, although they may not seem to be directly attributable to the pressures of new fatherhood. 

From what I have read on the tinterwebnet, around 1 in 10 new mums experience pnd while 1 in 28 new dads suffer too. Considering it is never mentioned during pre or post natal care or midwives visits the numbers aren't massively different. That means a quarter of all new fathers may develop pnd and it is still largely unrecognized by the local GP. I find that extremely hard to digest.

Our family has really suffered with this illness. First I became affected by it and my husband supported me endlessly. Now, due to our lack of awareness, my husband is now firmly in its grasp. Due to the mood swings he occasionally experiences, we have decided it is better for us all if he stays with family for a while. This has left our middle son Chaos, very distressed and unsettled. If only we had realised this was a possibility earlier we could have looked for the signs.

Having read through some information on the Fatherhood Institute Research site, it says fathers with severe post natal depression are associated with high emotional and behavioral problems of children the age of 3.5yrs, especially boys. This would tie in with Chaos, as he is emotionally unstable and his behaviour is awful since my husband left.
It says depressed fathers have a greater effect on children than depressed mothers, due to their increased angry outbursts. Depressed men are less likely to interact with the child, they show very few positive emotions and they talk in a much flatter tone than women which will inevitably have a negative effect on the child.

I am writing this in the hope that it will raise awareness of MALE postnatal depression. So if you know anyone who is or has suffered with postnatal depression, tell them to keep an eye on their partners. A husband/partner is almost twice as likely to develop pnd if their wife has already developed it. The most risky time for men is when the baby is about 3-6 months old.

Actually, just tell anyone you know who is having or had a baby! I don't think new Mums realise just how bad things can be if this illness takes a hold, I know I didn't and neither did my husband!!