Male Post Partum Depression

[lisaf]

I ran into a guy at the pharmacy the other day. He told me he had an 8 day old baby at home. He also told me he was video taping his day as part of his process in helping him deal with his male post partum depression and asked for permission to do a quick interview/greeting taping of me and my son.
I didn't get a chance to answer since his wife called him (and fyi, the store clerk was helping him and knew him as a regular customer etc... so this isn't some totaly freaky thing).

I was polite to him, but in my head I was pissed that he was claiming the title of 'post partum depression'. There was no freaking 'partum' for him. Also, 8 days after your kid was born? Its a major life adjustment, its not yet possible to tell if its even depression or not.
PPD is caused in part by the hormonal changes that happen with pregnancy/childbirth etc.

I dunno, I am all for supporting the treatment of depression in all its forms, but this one just pissed me off. What do you think?

 

[tina3747]

Whaaaaaat!? So he can't live the live he led before? Jeez some blokes!!
Tell them to deal with raging hormones, unbelievable tiredness, the desperation of trying to breast feed.... Slightly different!

 

[lisaf]

Thanks! Glad I'm not the only one thinking that! I'd heard about this before having kids and just thought 'huh, strange, but I guess that stuff happens'. But knowing what I know now about the post-natal period for a woman, NO WAY does that count!

 

[BlackBerry25]

Actually, I think men can have it.

I am pretty sure my OH does.

It is a huge change for men, not just women.

 

[BlackBerry25]

If you google, there is TONS on the subject.

Just because you cannot understand or haven't experienced it, doesn't mean you can just say it doesn't exist or happen.

 

[mummy3]

Yeah I totally get guys can become depressed after a baby is born, a life changing event can affect everyone differently but to call it post partum depression? Nah there's no partum for them and at 8 days I say its way too soon to be causes by the baby being they dont have a hormone crash to deal with. Stress maybe 8 days after his LO being born and tiredness but unlikely to be depression caused by the baby. Maybe he was depressed before but the stress and tiredness of having a newborn exacerbated it?

 

[lisaf]

Exactly... I agree that they can be depressed from the changes to their lives, but PPD isn't just about the life changes, its hormonal and is tied to the 'partum' which men did not experience as mummy said above.

And even regular depression isn't diagnosed until symptoms last for more than 2 weeks.
I don't doubt that men can suffer depression after having a baby, but taking the label 'post partum' I feel detracts from the seriousness of what women experience.

The leading cause of death for women in the first year of giving birth is suicide.

 

[lisaf]

from: https://www.postpartummen.com/depression.htm
"some research suggests that it develops more gradually in men over the course of the child’s first year than postpartum depression develops in women"
"To be diagnosed with depression, a person must be experiencing five or more of these symptoms, including either depressed mood or loss of interest, over a two-week period. These symptoms must also be causing significant distress and interfering with the person’s social, work or academic functioning."

 

[smelly07]

I completely agree that males can also get depressed after becoming a father, its a HUGE change and some dont take to it, one of our friends was like it and he only feels its getting better now the boy is getting older he is now 5, he loves his son to bits but no way does he want any more children.

However the sitution above ......OMG he needs to get over it, the baby is only 8 days old.....its more likely 'ohhhh all the attention is on baby and not me boo hoo, let me say i have depression to get some sympathy and attention' kinda thing!!!!