History Of Postpartum Depression - Father Postpartum Depression

By Leeanne Utiger
Postpartum depression is a form of depression that is related to after childbirth. Many new parents can suffer from postpartum depression, even fathers. This article will go into some brief detail on the history of postpartum depression and how fathers too can suffer from postpartum depression.

Having a baby can be a very enjoyable and yet at the same time a stressful time for both mother and father. So it is no wonder that not only can a mother, but also a father suffer from postpartum depression after the baby is born.

Postpartum depression is probably better known to some as post natal depression. Postpartum depression can only be diagnosed if the symptoms you would normally recognize in general depression occur and remain at least two weeks after the baby is born. Once again, this applies to both the mother and the father of the baby being born to.

History of postpartum depression have proven and shown that some of the causes for postpartum depression occurring in both the mother and the father of the newborn baby can include:

Depressive states during the pregnancy
Low self esteem
Stress over needed childcare
Anxieties about the up and coming birth of the baby
Lack of or no support during the pregnancy (funnily enough a father needs support also, and may lack this needed support from his friends)
A rocky relationship between both the mother and the father of the baby
History of depression in the past
Being a single parent
An unplanned or unwanted pregnancy
And of course, everyday stresses over life aspects in general, such as financial security and secure work to be efficient to raise a family.

Most people when they think of postpartum depression think that this form of depression automatically only affects the mother. I am stressing my point to you that it most definitely also affects the father. I am not saying that every mother and every father suffer from this mental illness called postpartum depression, just that fathers too can be affected by postpartum depression as well as mothers.

History of postpartum depression indicates that high levels of stress and depression prior to a baby being born contributes to the higher risks of either a mother or father suffering from postpartum depression once the baby is born. And in reverse, low levels of depressive states prior to the baby being born, will influence a less likely ability or lower level of postpartum depression to affect either a mother or father after the baby has been born.

History also states that it is very unlikely for hormonal changes in a woman during pregnancy to cause postpartum depression. Many studies have been carried out on this very argument and theory in history and they have not been conclusive nor proven to be correct.

History states that only approximately 15% of new mothers do in fact suffer from postpartum depression, while there is no percentage rate available for fathers that suffer from postpartum depression. I am not saying that the change in a woman’s hormonal levels will not have any influence, just that this has not been proven to be a cause of postpartum depression.

History suggests that postpartum depression is caused by one or more of the varying factors I mentioned above earlier in this article on the history of postpartum depression and how fathers too can suffer from such an illness. Both mothers and fathers go through much of the same stresses during a pregnancy.

Now that I have given you a few brief details on the history of postpartum depression and expressed to you that not only mothers, but also fathers can suffer from postpartum depression, maybe you can take what I have said into consideration when you suspect either a new mother, or even a new father of having postpartum depression and try to get either them both, or the parent concerned the support and/or treatment they may need.

See Also:
Fathers and postpartum depression

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