Dad also hit hard by postnatal depression
For every two mothers suffering postnatal depression in Australia, at least one father does, too.
More than 45,000 women and 26,000 men were in the throes of the debilitating psychological condition, the Post and Antenatal Depression Association said yesterday, with the high number of men an unexpected burden on the health system.
Panda chief executive officer Belinda Horton said the figures on male postnatal depression put paid to the widespread belief that fluctuating hormones were the prime cause of the mental illness.
“Postnatal depression isn’t simply caused by hormonal changes during pregnancy and after birth,’’ Ms Horton said.
“There isn’t a great deal of evidence that shows hormone changes alone cause postnatal depression -it’s one of many many factors.
“Men go through similar issues to women when a new baby comes into the world.
“Everything gets turned upside down.
“There may be financial pressures and many other challenges, and that can be very hard for people.’’
Parents are loath to admit they struggle emotionally and psychologically after the birth of a child when their family, friends and the broader community believe having a baby is one of the greatest times of their lives.
More than 15 per cent of new mothers are diagnosed with postnatal depression, and about 10 per cent of new fathers.
But the number of sufferers could be much higher.
PANDA estimates that 50 per cent of parents who suffer from postnatal depression are never diagnosed and the figure for men may be even higher as their particular problems, such as overuse of alcohol or work stresses that may be caused by their home life, are seen as men’s issues rather than postnatal problems.
Ms Horton said another group of affected men struggled to dealwith their partner’s postnatal depression.
“They are basically put in the position of being prime carer for a mentally ill person and the family’s child or children, as well as remaining the breadwinner.
“It is an incredibly difficult position to face, and many men develop their own stresses and anxieties around that,’’ she said.
The scale of postnatal depression in Australia, and its cost to the community in terms of lost working hours and healthcare costs, were cause for concern, but there remained an unwillingness to take the issue seriously, PANDA said.
“Over 98,000 people have some form of postnatal mental illness. It’s a phenomenal figure, yet we just don’t seem to want to talk about it, as if the issue doesn’t quite exist,’’ Ms Horton said.
People with concerns about postnatal depression can call the PANDA hotline on (03) 94813377.
