Fathers also get the baby blues

Fathers also get the baby blues
Amy Corderoy

September 10, 2010

Call for routine screenings ... study finds up to 20 per cent of fathers suffer post-natal depression.

Depression among fathers is so common that one in five will experience it while their children are young, research shows.


A study of nearly 87,000 families in Britain has found 21 per cent of fathers and 39 per cent of mothers experienced a period of depression by the time their child was 12 years old.

Depression was most common among parents of babies, with 13 per cent of mothers and 3 per cent of fathers becoming depressed by the time their child reached its first birthday.

Postnatal depression is technically defined as depression that begins within four weeks of childbirth, although many support groups define it as beginning within one year of birth.


Healthcare workers should routinely screen for depression among both fathers and mothers, the study authors wrote in the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

The chief executive of the Post and Antenatal Depression Association, Belinda Horton, said postnatal depression among Australian men and women was more common than thought.

"People often don't seek help because there is a very ingrained stigma around mental illnesses - even more so when it occurs at a time that is supposed to be celebratory and joyous," she said.

Causes included genetic predisposition to depression, physical ill-health, sleep deprivation, and hormonal changes. Life circumstances such as lack of support or previous trauma could also contribute.

''I get really cranky when it is written off as a hormonal problem for women only,'' Ms Horton said. ''Men haven't given birth but they clearly experience it as well.''

Nicole Highet, the deputy chief executive of beyondblue, said while some small Australian studies had found higher rates of depression among men who had recently had children, there was no large-scale evidence of this.

But the stresses of raising a child could make depression harder to deal with. "When you have a child and you are depressed you have parental responsibilities that mean you have to keep going," she said. "That is one of the things that makes it so hard".


For more on parenting and pregnancy: essentialbaby.com.au

The Sydney Morning Herald