Bringing a baby into the world can be an overwhelming experience for couples. New mothers often experience anxiety, and many will seek therapy for perinatal mood disorder or other similar conditions. But it's not just mothers that go through these issues.

Fathers can suffer from the same conditions. It's not commonly reported or discussed, but the rates of depression and anxiety disorders among new fathers are around the same as new mothers.

Understanding the Baby Blues Among Men

When you talk about postpartum depression or perinatal mood disorder, the discussion usually revolves around women and their changing hormones. Hormonal fluctuations do cause issues for many mothers. The body undergoes extreme changes during and after pregnancy, but hormones don't explain the entire story.

Therapy for perinatal mood disorder applies to mothers, fathers, and even adopted parents.

For men, baby blues develop due to many outside factors. Fathers go through significant changes, too. While not physical, their lives are forever transformed by the baby's arrival. Triggers can occur long before birth.

The exact cause of anxiety disorders among fathers depends entirely on their life and experiences. For some, concerns about the prospects of being a good father are a significant factor. Gender roles and expectations can weigh heavily on new fathers. Pair that with the time they have to take away from work, new financial responsibilities, and the sleep deprivation that comes with raising a newborn, and it's not hard to see why fathers suffer.

Getting Help

Unfortunately, men often don't seek mental health care before or after the birth of their child. The focus is usually on the mother, leaving men up to their own devices to handle the problem alone.

Society is more understanding about mental health concerns than ever before, but there's little attention on the father. There's still an unfortunate stigma that prevents many men from getting the help they need.

That said, it is available. Fathers should be just as mindful of their mental health as their partner's well-being and seek therapy whenever needed.

Author Resource:-

Alester Brown writes about physiotherapy. She advises people on health care, online therapy, anxiety discussion groups & depression message boards. You can find her thoughts at online therapy blog.