Anxiety and maternal depression are so frequent that they affect one in four women, but men are also not safe from the emotional whirlwind that happens during pregnancy and especially with the arrival of the baby. A study indicates that there are men who experience depression during the pregnancy of their partners and after childbirth.
Specifically, according to research conducted at the University of Auckland (New Zealand), about 6% of parents had elevated symptoms of depression at some time during their partner's pregnancy or during the nine months after delivery. Some of the fathers who read us may feel identified, and the mothers may also see them reflected.
And, when the father or mother is emotionally weak, when one of the members of the couple feels alone in the face of the new situation, when one of the two is not one hundred percent, difficulties and fears can be aggravated. Which is more worrying if we consider that depression is not easy to diagnose, neither in them nor in them.
The study, published by the journal "JAMA Psychiatry", took into account the data of almost 4,000 men and highlights that couples have to be aware that any of them may be depressed and, in that case, do not know The symptoms may pass and help should be sought.
Especially if the man has previously suffered a depression, if he is in poor health or suffers stress, a pregnancy or having a child can increase the risk of suffering from it. Data from interviews conducted indicated that 2.3% of parents had elevated symptoms of depression while their partners were pregnant.
After the baby was born, the percentage of depressed men rose to 4.3%. Depression at this time is more frequent in those parents who had suffered stress during pregnancy, who had not been with their partner for a long time, those who had a worse health, were unemployed or had already suffered another episode of depression before.
Regarding the poor health observed more frequently in men with depression, it cannot be known whether it is a cause or an effect. But what is clear that in these stages so important couples must have the necessary support, from their closest environment and also institutional support, from the health ... You, as mothers or fathers, do not let the symptoms pass and seek the necessary help if you think there is a risk.
Anyway, even if they tell us otherwise, although in the movies or in the magazines the most absolute happiness is reflected after the baby is born, it is a hard time and many people can be affected by fears, anxiety and postpartum depression. Men may also experience depression in pregnancy and after the birth of their partners, a situation that will undoubtedly affect the emotional situation of the mother, so it has to be taken into account.
