- Your husband is transitioning too
An informative article by Psychology Today, written by Matt Villano, tells us how men can suffer mental disorders post birth, just as moms can.
Villano writes on paternal postnatal depression (PPND), or paternal perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PPMADs):
“The statistics are surprising: A recent study estimated that 10 percent of all new dads throughout the world and 14 percent here in the United States experience PPND. Additional research indicates that the highest rates of PPND (and PPD, for that matter) occur for parents during the first three to six months of a baby’s life.
Still other studies say that if new moms are experiencing PPD, their male counterparts are nearly twice as likely to experience PPND (most commonly after the new moms seek and respond to treatment).”
Your husband’s schedule and demands have altered as well, albeit not as drastically as a mom with a new baby, but different just the same.
Chances are if you are having trouble coping your husband may be too. Seek professional help if you or your husband is having lasting depressive states that interfere with daily tasks, or care of the baby.