Dads Can Suffer From Postpartum Depression, Too

Feeling all the emotions, including the tough ones, can affect not just new moms, but dads, too.

Studies show that one in 10 dads struggles with postpartum depression and anxiety as well.

Irene and Steven Gallegos of Boyd learned firsthand about the mental health struggles that new fathers can face.

Two years ago, their dreams came true when they welcomed their son, Caleb, after years of trying to start a family. However, in the weeks that followed, Steven's feelings of excitement and joy became replaced by anxiety and dread.

"Feeling the weight of being responsible for little life and raising him to be a great man, I think that's where the journey kind of started," said Steven.

Steven, who had never suffered from anxiety or depression before, said he began to feel hopeless, overwhelmed, irritable and at times, dealt with suicidal thoughts.

"Anxious about, 'what if I mess up? What will happen if, if this doesn't work out?'" he said.

"There was just kind of like a fog of, 'I didn't know what to do.' Honestly, it was just kind of complete chaos in my brain of, 'well, what now? Like, how do I navigate this?' You know, usually, I can find a solution to things but this one, I couldn't find a solution. I couldn't figure out what was going on. I think that's what led me even just kind of deeper, deeper into the depression that I was in," said Steven.

Irene said she began to notice changes in her husband as well.

"It was about a week into being home that I really started seeing it, at first, whenever our son would cry. There was an extra level of irritability or you could just see the anxiety, the overwhelming feeling of, 'what do we do? How do we help him stop crying? How do we help him?" said Irene.

She said she later remembered reading about paternal perinatal depression in a pamphlet from the hospital.

“We started looking back through the book, and that’s when she was like, ‘A lot of what you’re going through is right here,’” said Steven.

Licensed clinical social worker Dustin Webb, administrator at Texas Health Behavioral Health Dallas, said some of the same causes that contribute to postpartum depression for moms exist for dads, too.

Partner’s depression, feeling disconnected from mom and baby, personal or family history of depression, psychological adjustment to parenthood as well as sleep deprivation can be causes. Hormones also play a role.

"For men, testosterone levels go down as we're preparing to have a baby. Cortisol levels, which is our stress hormone, go up. So that can be a great ingredient for welcoming a baby in and making that attachment and a great ingredient for predisposing somebody to depression," said Webb.

Symptoms of PPND can include:

• Loss of interest in work, like problems with motivation and concentration.
• Increased complaints of physical issues, like headaches or weight loss.
• Becoming easily stressed and discouraged.
• Increased anger, irritability and violent behavior.
• Increased use of alcohol and drugs.

In 2020, an editorial in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics called on pediatricians to assess the mental health of all new parents, regardless of gender, and to make appropriate referrals when necessary.

Using one or a combination of therapies may help fathers cope during pregnancy and the stressful postpartum period.

Steven said recognizing the depression and talking with a counselor helped him cope and that the depression faded after about six weeks.

"One of the biggest pieces is realizing that this is network. It's not just me. I'm not the only one and I think that also helped," said Steven.

Free behavioral health assessments are available from Texas Health. You can get more information by visiting their website or calling 682-626-8719.