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Do you think men can get PPD?

EVA116EVA116 member
in Babies: 6 - 9 Months
My DH has been really down lately and really moody. He is not helping anymore at all. Yesterday he sat on the couch and did nothing and then when I did ask for help he got mad at the baby and yelled. I am not sure what to do or if this will pass. Last weekend we went to his parents house and he seemed to get sad there and made some comment about how he wishes he could go back to when he was a kid. I know it is hard to have a kid...I had PPD really bad, still get swings of it but what do I say?

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Re: Do you think men can get PPD?

  • LadyXaverianLadyXaverian member
    I thought PPD was brought on by hormonal changes in a woman's body after a baby is born, but admittedly, I know very little about depression.
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  • vanfoxvanfox member
    Not as a formal diagnosis, as PPD is (like a pp said) caused by hormonal swings following giving birth. However, it's really really common for fathers to become depressed after they have a child, much more common than previously thought. It's closer to a grieving type of depression, like when a relative dies, than a clinical depression but as it plays out the same way, therapy and sometimes medication can definitely help.
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  • BeetleLinz1125BeetleLinz1125 member
    It's not PPD, but it's probably a depression becuase of how much everything has changed.  DH gets like this too...maybe send your DH out with his friends for a guys night out...that usually picks DH up right away :-)
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  • alisonemmaalisonemma
    Well, if an adoptive mother can get PAD, I think, yes, a father can get PPD.  
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  • kesryakesrya member

    No.  A man can be situationally depressed following the birth of a child, but a true diagnosis of PPD is related to specific hormonal shifts.  Now, a man receiving hormone therapy for metastatic prostate cancer could have true PPD.

    The treatment protocol is going to be completely different because one is due to a person's relationship to their life, and therefore can only be temporarily relieved by medication - but eventually the man needs to face into the situation causing the depression and his relationship to his emotions.  Whereas true PPD could be completely eliminated by medication or introduction of temporary hormones, or can just naturally clear as the woman's body self-regulates her hormones.

    Depression comes from a lot of different causes -- some biological, some not.  It really doesn't do anyone service to try to lump it all under one diagnosis and one treatment method.

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  • mmarsacmmarsac member
    It's not technically PPD, but it is common for men to get depressed after having a baby.  It's a major life change, and it can take some adjustment.  If it lasts for more than 2 weeks, it would probably be a good idea for him to go see his family doctor or a counselor.  Untreated, depression can get worse.
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  • flhokieflhokie
    Absolutely! DH is a SAHD and he definitely exhibited most of the symptoms of male ppd (google male ppd and you will find sites dedicated to it). Needless to say, it wasn't hormonal, but depression is chemical. He is seeing someone and on medication now and it's much better, but it took a little time. Also, it wasn't easy convincing him that he needed help. 
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