Imogen Pearson reports
Every year, one in seven women who give birth in Australia will suffer from postnatal depression (PND).
Whilst the mental illness is regarded as a problem that effects new mothers, a recent study by the University of Southern California has revealed that men are suffering too.
Dr Amelia Stojanovik, a psychologist at Gidget House, an Australian organisation that specialises in PND, said that new parents lack access to emotional support.
“While the statistics are lower for men, they definitely can and do suffer from PND and anxiety”, she said.
Dr Stojanovik said that there are a number of reasons why new and expecting fathers suffer from PND.
"I felt really lonely".
“First of all, its just a massive change and adjustment, especially in the world we live in today where men are much more involved in the family unit”, she said.
Other reasons men suffer include financial pressure, lack of emotional connection with their newborn and concerns about a change in the relationship with their partners.
“It can be difficult for men – they don’t carry the baby, they don’t breast feed, they don’t do any of that stuff, so it can be quite hard for them watching the relationship between mum and baby”, she said.
Madeleine Lynch, who was just 20-years-old when she gave birth to her son, said that her and her partner Kit have struggled to cope as young parents.
“[We] definitely did struggle, I felt really lonely and didn’t have many people my age to relate to”, she said.
Although her son is now almost two-years-old, Madeleine still has trouble sleeping and is often stressed and emotional.
“I was put into a young mother’s program by my hospital when I was pregnant and was then appointed a home visit nurse who visits me every month until my son turns two. She has helped me so much”, she said.
But access to these services is limited mostly to mothers.
Like Madeleine, father of two Nik Armstrong, whose partner became pregnant with their first daughter when he was just 22-years-old, found fatherhood confronting at such a young age.
“[While] women obviously go through a lot more than men do in parenthood, it would have helped me to have someone to talk to about the stress of it all”, he said.
While Dr Stojanovik believes that the PND service she works for would ‘accept’ seeing men, she understands that there is more of a stigma.
“There definitely is still a lot of stigma for men”.
“With Gidget House, a lot of their promotional stuff is pink – even though we say that we accept fathers – its just little things like that [that can stop men from reaching out].”
“There definitely is still a lot of stigma for men”, she said.
If you or anyone you know is suffering, please contact PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia) at 1300 726 306.
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