Can men can get post-natal depression?

[professorsnape]

We have 3 DC, DD 4.5, and 20 month old twins.

DH really, really bonded with DD from the begining pretty much, they have a special father/daughter bond.

We didn't see twins coming when we tried for baby number 2. It was an incredibly tough, busy time after they were born. Although I did find it hard initially to bond with the twins, and I almost cracked under the pressure, I think in the end its made me stronger and was delighted really the twins were so healthy etc and have become very sweet, easy going little men :)

DH works full time in a stressful corporate job and around the time the boys were born, he went through a bad time mentally. He said he flet trapped having 3 DC, he didn't feel like he'd bonded with the boys and just saw them as 'work' and felt overwhelmed with his life.

Thank god, things are much better now. DH has a lovely relationship with his DSs now, they light up when he comes home from work.

But was just thinking, was my DH suffering from post-natal depression?

My DH was just the same with DD2. I reckon it was some kind of PND. She is 13mo now and he is fine, but I think he found the adjustment of going from 1 child to 2 a lot harder than we anticipated.

So no, YANBU.

He may well have felt or been depressed but it wasn't PND as he didn't give birth. Glad all is ok now :)

I think the basis of PND is hormonal so I would be inclined to label it something else when it comes to men being affected by a new baby.

Thanks valium

Of course PND directly effects women and have great sympathy for anyone who goes through it, as I think it's a very misunderstood thing in society (hence other thread on AIBU) but technically, can it only effect women as they're going through hormonal changes? As I think both men and women go through big emotional/life changes too

Certainly men can be overwhelmed which could lead to depression but PND is a chemical imbalance that is caused by change in hormones after child birth.

Depression, Yes PND, No.

There is some academic work on 'PND' in men. It has been quoted on MN a while back. It is not PND in the sense women get it but I think it is a form of stress. Relationships change, home life changes, add to that the huge responsibility of suddenly being the breadwinner for the whole family and some people no doubt find that very overwhelming if coupled with a stressful job.

That sounds a lot like what your DH felt like.

Men do not under any circumstances sit chatting to friends about how they feel about the new baby and feeling like they can't cope. It absolutely is not something you can talk about at work either.

Men do not under any circumstances sit chatting to friends about how they feel about the new baby and feeling like they can't cope. It absolutely is not something you can talk about at work either

My dh is chattier with his mates than I am with any of mine. They talk about anything and everything including how hard it is with new babies.

OP, 'technically' - no men can not suffer from post-natal depression because this is due to hormonal changes post-natally (i.e. following birth).

yes, they can go through emotional upheavals, experience stress and anxiety and even depression due to the huge changes in their lives as a result of the baby.

But only women who have given birth can suffer from post-natal depression

I've been taught that men can and do get post natal depression - in fact I wrote an essay about it! If they are suffering depression in the post natal period, that is part natal depression imo. Women can get part natal depression without it being caused solely by hormones!

Yes, men can get post-natal depression. I agree withy NannyBeth - if men get depression in the post-natal period and it is in some way linked to the birth of their baby, then it is post-natal depression.

Hormones are not the only cause in post-natal depression and there are risk factors that can make it m ore likely for someone to get post-natal depression that are not related to hormones.

Hello, we're going to move this to Mental Health now...

Actually the postpartum period physical. It's when a woman's body is trying to return back to it's original state (hormones, uterus size etc). PND is a result of the something going wrong during this stage (hormonally or stress at home effecting the hormones etc).

Men can suffer from depression during this time but it's not postpartum related because men don't psychically go through that.

No, not in the sense that women can because men can't have babies so don't have the same hormones that women do.

Can men get depressed in the 12 months after birth? Of course. Men can get depressed at any time just like women can.