New Fathers Suffer From Postpartum Depression, Too

By Jenny Kanevsky Depression is a common mental health issue. Postpartum depression/anxiety (PPD/A) in women, a common and often undiagnosed illness in biological, adoptive, or lesbian partner moms, has finally gained greater awareness by mental health professionals, obstetricians, and the general public. While many women still suffer in silence, recent efforts have given PPD sufferers a voice. There is no shame, there is no need to hide. PPD/A is a mental health issue and one over which the sufferer has no control. I know. I had PPD/A after my second child. It hit me a few weeks into his life, and it hit hard. It's not just depression or sadness, symptoms can include anxiety, rage, intrusive thoughts, OCD behavior, and more. When I had it, I was overwhelmed by anxiety. I was also depressed, but the anxiety was debilitating. I thought I would perish. I thought my baby would perish. I was terrified. But, I told my doctor, I was heard, and I got help. I survived. Men suffer too, and more attention is needed to understand how they suffer, and how men respond to treatment. Depression knows no gender, including postnatal depression. Researchers are still in the early stages of understanding the male experience with depression; paternal postnatal depression (PPND) research lags further behind.  Men experience depression differently than women, and we know that men are more likely to hide depression and/or to withdraw which only serves to worsen symptoms. PPND research suggest...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news