How a nonprofit organization is highlighting postpartum depression among men this Father’s Day

Postpartum depression isn’t just experienced by mothers, and one group is helping to raise awareness for fathers who suffer from the mood disorder.

Ten years ago, pediatrician David Levine didn’t understand what he was feeling shortly after the birth of his first son.

“I had a lot of nervousness and anger,” he said. “I had thoughts of murder and suicide. I was functioning so I felt like ‘whatever this is, I don’t know'”

Levine said he learned a few years later after the birth of his second son, when the symptoms returned, that it was postpartum depression.

As a pediatrician, he knew how to diagnose new mothers struggling with the disorder, but he couldn’t spot it in himself.

“If you had asked me at the time if I was sad or worried, I would have said, ‘No,'” Levine said. “That wasn’t until I had it [searched for] that I realized there was even a possibility for men to have it.”

His search for help led to the national nonprofit organization Postpartum Support International (PSI). He became so involved with the group and helped other men that he is now the vice president of the organization.

Levine said it’s time to put the spotlight on men’s postpartum mental health this Father’s Day.

“Men don’t really talk about this kind of thing,” he said. “It’s a huge number of men who go through some form of this and a very small number of them actually get help.”

The disorder can have different symptoms in men, manifesting as anger, frustration and irritation in fathers. According to PSI, in new mothers it looks like emotional swings, frequent crying, fatigue and anxiety.

Fathers are sometimes overlooked because of the common misperception that it only affects women.

But at least 1 in 10 men suffer from postnatal depression between pregnancy and the year after the birth of a child. And up to 50% of fathers suffer from the disorder if their partner is struggling with it, Levine said.

What’s more is that new fathers tend to suffer in silence because they are less likely to alert family and friends to their symptoms, said Dr. Daniel Singley, a licensed psychologist and PSI advisory board member.

As a result, only about 25% of men who develop the condition get the help they need.

“For the dad himself to say, ‘I’m depressed,’ that’s often not how he plays,” Singley said. “He’ll just think there’s something about me that needs fixing. And it’s important that those around him serve as a mirror for him.”

Another barrier to getting help is that men tend to isolate themselves when faced with difficulties.

“That’s one of the reasons why it’s so helpful to have something like a support group,” Singley said. “To not whitewash it, fill it up and go alone.”

Singley and Levine direct new fathers struggling with perinatal mental health disorders to PSI’s 24-hour hotline at 1-800-944-4773.

Get the latest news and daily headlines delivered to your inbox by signing up here.

© 2024 WTOP. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.