If we talk a lot about postpartum depression in mothers, the same pathology in fathers is still taboo. And for good reason, it does not manifest itself in the same way. What are the warning signs? How to get out? Response elements.
Postpartum depression doesn’t just affect women: young dads are also at risk of suffering from it. On average, it is estimated that 10% of fathers are likely to experience it during the year following the birth of their child, with a peak between three and six months. However, this phenomenon is still underestimated by health professionals and therefore misdiagnosed. What are the symptoms of paternal postpartum depression? How to detect it? Answers with Natacha Butzbach, psychologist specializing in childhood.
What are the causes of paternal postpartum depression?
Several factors can promote the occurrence of postpartum depression in the father: a pre-existing psychic pathology, a drop in testosterone levels, maternal postpartum depression, a trauma from the past that resurfaces, fear of reproducing a pattern dysfunctional, of not being a good father, of not being present enough.
“This pathology is misdiagnosed in fathers because they do not benefit from medical monitoring like mothers and are not necessarily included in birth preparations”.
What are the signs and symptoms of paternal postpartum depression?
Postpartum depression is more difficult to spot in fathers because it does not necessarily manifest itself in the same way as in mothers. If it can be manifested by characteristic depressive symptoms such as fatigue, sadness, loss of interest in usual activities, sleep and appetite disturbances, it can also appear in a more insidious way. Young dads with postpartum depression tend to withdraw into themselves, avoid the baby, be indecisive and irritable, and can sometimes behave aggressively. “Men somatize a lot, they develop headaches, stomach aches, and overinvest their work by leaving very early in the morning and returning very late at night. observes the psychologist.
What differences with postpartum depression in the mother?
In the mother, postpartum depression is mainly manifested by anxiety, great fatigue, intense sadness, loss of interest in usual activities, uncontrollable crying, irritability and an inability to fully assume the role of parent. . In dads, this malaise is manifested rather by a tendency to flee the baby, to withdraw into oneself or even to adopt aggressive behavior.
Does paternity leave reduce postpartum depression in fathers?
According to a study by the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) supervised by researcher Maria Melchior and published on Wednesday January 4, 2023, paternity leave would reduce the risk of postpartum depression in fathers. To reach this conclusion, the researchers used data from the Elfe cohort study, including more than 13,000 French mothers and nearly 11,000 fathers whose children were born in 2011.
At 2 months, more than 64% of the fathers had taken paternity leave, 17% intended to take one and almost 19% had not taken any and were not planning to take any. 4.5% of fathers who took paternity leave and 4.8% of those intending to use it had postpartum depression compared to 5.7% of those who did not take it. However, paternity leave is not yet seen as the norm. “Paternity leave is so undervalued in our society that many fathers do not take it or only partially. As a result, they distance themselves from the mother-baby dyad, which alters their bond with their baby. They think they are less competent in their role and shy away“, regrets our interlocutor.
What treatment for paternal depression?
The diagnosis of postpartum depression in men remains difficult. “The mental health of dads is little or not taken into account, and they dare not talk about their distress because they have not been taught to communicate their emotions. They feel a certain shame about their psychic vulnerability, which implies that men may be more at risk of developing serious disorders without being diagnosed.“, informs the psychologist. The management of paternal postpartum depression is based on psychotherapy, combined with drug treatment in the event of severe symptoms.. It is still necessary that men recognize that the birth of their child puts them in suffering.
Thanks to Natacha Butzbach, child psychologist.