The Depression We Miss In New Fathers |
Most people have never heard of “paternal post-natal depression” or “postpartum depression in men,” yet roughly one in 10 new fathers experience it.
I was one of them. I’m a doctor. And I missed it completely.
We talk a lot about maternal postpartum depression, and we should. Mothers are routinely screened, and there is growing awareness of how serious and common it is. But fathers are largely invisible in this conversation, even within medicine.
As a physician, I’ve spent my career identifying illness in others, recognizing subtle signs, and acting quickly when something isn’t right. But when my twin daughters were born, I couldn’t see what was happening to me.
My paternal post-natal depression, or PPND, presented as depression and anxiety so severe and pervasive that I could not care for my........