New dads get baby blues, too

Dads get the blues after baby is born, too.

One in 10 fathers, and one in five mothers, experience prenatal or postpartum depression, with the risks peaking when the baby is 3 to 6 months old, a new study reveals.

"Depression affects both parents and both parents should be on the lookout for it," said lead researcher James Paulson of Eastern Virginia Medical School.

And while Dad's depression may take a different tone, with more irritable and angry behaviors, than Mom's, it is likely to be just as detrimental to the child, the researchers say.

While baby blues and postpartum depression are well documented in women, the new research, to be published in the May 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests they are not alone.

On average the studies showed, 10.4 percent of new fathers became depressed during the gestational or postpartum period. In the subset of studies that looked at paternal well-being three to six months after the baby was born, 25.6 percent of fathers were depressed.

Live Science

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