By Gina Roberts-Grey

Our growing concern for the mental and emotional health and well being of new mothers has sparked a widespread awareness campaign aimed at treating postpartum depression. For years, previous generations dismissed a new mother's "sadness" or depression by associating it with needing to adjust to having a new baby or missing the attention received while being pregnant.

Fortunately, the very powerful and compelling symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD), or the baby blues, experienced by mothers of diverse social, ethnic and economic climates lifted the veil off this potentially dangerous situation, paving the way for parents to openly seek treatment for postpartum related symptoms. Removing the stigma associated with suffering from the baby blues has sparked society's increasing awareness and commitment to ensuring mothers receive supportive treatment for PPD.

In the days and weeks following the birth of a baby, family members, friends and health care professionals watch for indicators that a new mother may be experiencing some level of postnatal depression. Thankfully, women have the benefit of organized support groups, compassionate friends and a trusted medical team with whom they've already entrusted their care to during pregnancy. While turning caring, watchful eyes to the complete health of new moms and their children is invaluable to helping growing families successfully transition through the journey of childbirth and into parenting, we are now learning that new fathers may also require similar patient nurturing and support.

Breaking the Stereotypes

Although postpartum depression has traditionally been associated as being experienced by women, researchers and mental health experts are now realizing fathers also can suffer from PPD. As in the case of mothers who experience PPD, we are now understanding a child's relationship with a father grappling with PPD can be noticeably affected. A 2000 study conducted by the University of Oxford found that about 3 percent of fathers exhibited signs of depression after the birth of a child. The same study indicated that approximately 10.2 percent of mothers experience symptoms and feelings of postpartum depression.

British researchers headed by Dr. Paul Ramchandani, a psychiatrist at the University of Oxford, recently released a report that paternal PPD can affect a child's early behavior. In the report published in The Lancet medical journal, baby boys were especially affected by depressed dads and have twice as many behavioral problems in their early years as baby girls or children whose fathers did not experience PPD. "Our findings indicate that paternal depression has a specific and persisting detrimental effect on their children's early behavioral and emotional development," Dr. Ramchandani noted in his findings.

Dr. Ramchandani and his team studied the behavior and mental health of 12,800 couples in the first few weeks after the birth of their child and shortly before the children's second birthday. They assessed the children's emotional development and behavior when they were 3 years old based on questionnaires completed by the children's mothers. "The relationship between boys' behavioral development and depression in their fathers is striking," Ramchandani reported. "It may be that boys are specifically sensitive to the effects of parenting by fathers, perhaps because of different involvement by fathers with their sons."

Seeing All the Signs

The whirlwind of activity and energy generated when a new baby comes home often masks the signs that a father may have PPD. Trying to make sure a new mother is comfortable and recovering from childbirth, or that a new baby is settling into a manageable routine, automatically consumes most households. "With all the attention that was focused on my wife and new baby, we all overlooked my mental health," says George Schmidt, a father of two children from New York, N.Y., who experienced PPD.

Postpartum depression in men is also commonly not recognized because men self-impose super-human expectations for fatherhood and for being a husband. Schmidt is one of many fathers who typically return to a version of their prenatal lifestyle by going back to work in the first days or weeks of having a child and continuing with their role as provider. "Worrying about how we'll be perceived as a man makes new fathers want to project that we're easily adjusting to our new lifestyle," says Schmidt.

While neglecting to consider a new father's emotional state may not be intentional, the reality is this occurs more often than not. "It is easy to miss early signs of paternal postpartum depression because a man's natural tendency is to ignore or dismiss the thought that he needs any type of emotional help or support," says Paula Ashenbach, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Shawnee Mission, Kan. A father who may be struggling to connect with his child, feels disconnected from his wife or life or feels he is not worthy of fatherhood may search for plausible justification for his feelings or fight to entirely suppress them out of embarrassment, fear or frustration.

In addition to seeking a trained diagnosis, knowing the difference between being sleep deprived and having signs of PPD is crucial for parents to receive accurate and adequate treatment. The American Psychological Association (APA) has identified a number of symptoms as those "typical" of patients experiencing postpartum depression. The APA lists obsessive thoughts, chest pains or difficulty breathing, feelings of helplessness or inadequacy, the inability to form an attachment to his child and trouble maintaining typical sleep patterns as a few of the signs that a new dad may have paternal PPD and recommends anyone experiencing these symptoms contact their physician.

Because postpartum depression can lead parents to contemplate personal harm or harming their child, health care experts and the APA emphatically urge anyone who experiences thoughts of suicide or of causing any type of physical harm to seek immediate medical assistance to prevent an unnecessary tragedy.

"There are some circumstances that place a man at a higher risk for paternal PPD," says Ashenbach. "A father who has a history of depression, has a high stress level, shared a traumatic or difficult pregnancy or birth of his child or has little to no social support has a greater chance of experiencing some level of PPD."

Finding Support

The first step to help a parent overcome the gripping effects of PPD is realizing it is a treatable illness. Applauding individuals who actively seek treatment to take back control of their emotional lives lets fathers know they can confidently and securely pursue the treatment and tools to overcome PPD.

Encouraging a father to discuss his feelings and symptoms with his medical doctor or with a mental health expert will generate tremendous relief. "Receiving justification that he's not ‘crazy' or ‘shouldn't be feeling this way,' a man will develop clarity to what he's experiencing," says John Cunningham, a marriage and family therapist in Mt. Shasta, Calif. Combining therapy, family support and in some cases medication prescribed and monitored by a physician are the most popular methods available to parents struggling to overcome their baby blues.

Social support groups also provide a significant benefit to blue new dads. "Connecting with other fathers in social scenarios or formal support groups provides valuable support to aid in overcoming paternal PPD," says Cunningham. Recognizing that you're not alone or your feelings are understandable and explainable provides comfort for a father to begin treating his PPD.

Schmidt agrees with discussing the symptoms of PPD and their effects and hopes for a PPD-free future. The pressures of becoming a father are just a few of the many positive aspects support groups and social relationships afford fathers. "Although most men don't want to admit it, there are times when we all need a little helping support, and it was nice to know help is out there," says Schmidt.

"The safety and security of a support network can be vital for a father with PPD," says Cunningham. Mental health professionals and fathers like Schmidt also agree that establishing a relationship with a trusted member of clergy, health care professional or mental health expert helps fathers learn techniques to overcome their postpartum feelings and succeed as a competent and confident father.

Article from: PregnancyToday.com