Yes, you read correctly: in men. It is not a novelty that men also suffer postpartum depression.
When a man has just become a father, it is normal for him to suffer emotional changes, especially if he is a first-time father whose lifestyle changes radically with the arrival of the baby.
According to research conducted at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, almost 17% of men can suffer from it. The causes can be varied such as feeling isolated due to the woman's attention to the baby, not feeling able to take care of the baby properly, not meeting the social demands of her environment or believing herself unable to take responsibility for her new role as father .
Unlike women in which hormones play an important role, postpartum depression in men depends on the social, emotional and economic situation in which the recent father is.
Just as it happens to us, men may feel out of place when a new member arrives in the family. If you live in a stable emotional situation, you will assume your commitment with greater peace of mind, but if you are disoriented, becoming a father may distress you more than the account and lead to postpartum depression.
If it is difficult for women to identify it, imagine men who tend to be less demonstrative and often have more difficulty expressing their emotional disturbances.
The most common symptoms that can be an alert are estrangement from the couple, irritability, intolerance, insomnia, sadness, exaggerated refuge in friends or even in alcohol.
This situation could be worrisome if it lasts more than two weeks. After that time can trigger a postpartum depression in man of a variable duration between 15 days and one year.
The recommendation is the same as in the case of women. It is convenient to recognize it, detect it on time and consult a specialist.
