What Are the Signs of Postpartum Depression in Men?

Postpartum depression in men, postpartum depression is not the patent of women, it will also entangle a new father who is a father.

Postpartum depression in men

Postpartum depression in men, postpartum depression is not the patent of women, it will also entangle a new father who is a father.

Western Medicine Name

Postpartum depression in men

The main symptoms

Feeling nervous, irritable, and tired, especially afraid of hearing the child's crying, or even hating the child, often conflicting with the partner, occasionally accompanied by headaches, nausea and other symptoms

Main cause

Psychological stress, etc.

Multiple groups

Before and after the birth of the child

Contagious

Non-contagious

Studies have found that one in ten men suffers from depression before and after birth, the same proportion as women. At the age of 12 weeks, as many as a quarter of men experience depression. Postpartum depression in men needs attention.

Three weeks after your child was born, do you, the first father, have the following symptoms: Feeling nervous, irritable and irritable; Feeling exhausted, can't help you to do anything; Especially afraid to hear the child's crying, or even hate Children; often have conflicts with partners; occasionally accompanied by headaches, nausea and other symptoms.

If the above symptoms occur, it is likely that you are already eyeing male postpartum depression.

Postpartum depression in men is always dominated by a persistent depression, and some may develop from unhappy to distressed, and in severe cases, psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions may occur. Generally speaking, if you have at least the following 4 symptoms, and the duration of the symptoms is not less than 2 weeks, you can be diagnosed as depression.

Symptom 1. Depression, generally characterized by "emphasis in the morning and light in the evening";

Symptom 2 : Slow thinking, reduced memory, slow brain response, etc .;

Symptom 3 , decreased activity, unwilling to participate in social activities, often like to be alone;

Symptom 4 , often anxiety, guilt and worry about increasing the burden on the family;

Symptom 5 , sleep disorders, with early wake-up as its typical manifestation;

Symptom 6 , fatigue, palpitations, chest tightness, gastrointestinal discomfort, constipation, etc.

Symptom 7 : Suicide and abandonment, hatred or suicidal psychology and behavior;

Symptom 8 , marked decrease in sexual desire.

Men are more inclined to hide their emotions in front of others and play the role of "stronger". Therefore, men's postpartum depression is often ignored and not understood and valued. ^[1]

Whether you have the following performance and feelings in the past two weeks:

1, mental anxiety or sluggishness, often annoyed at a small matter, or a few days of silence, do not eat or drink.

2. The mood is low during the day and the mood is high at night.

3, poor sleep or severe insomnia, so sleepy during the day.

4. The mind cannot be concentrated, the language expression is disordered, and it lacks logic and comprehensive judgment ability.

5. Losing interest in almost everything, feeling that life is boring and boring, and living is equal to suffering.

6. The appetite has increased or decreased greatly, and the weight of mom has changed greatly.

7. Have repeated suicidal thoughts or attempts.

8, abnormal fatigue or weakness.

9, have a clear sense of inferiority, often involuntarily over blame, lack of confidence in everything.

Calculation of test results

Case 1: If only 4 or less of these 9 questions are consistent with the status quo, then you have not suffered from postpartum depression, but there are already signs of the disease and self-regulation is needed.

Case 2: If you have more than 5 answers to these 9 questions, and this state lasts for 2 weeks, then you are sick, please go to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible.

Case one: his wife is pregnant and he becomes depressed

After Aling became pregnant, her husband Jie Zi was required not to share the room with herself during the first three months and the next month of her pregnancy. As a result, at night, Jie Zi took two bottles of beer and sat in front of the computer to play games, often playing until midnight. She advised him to drink less beer and stay up late, but he said he couldn't sleep at night, and still did.

After the son was born, Ajie said that the parents in the country wanted to see the grandson. But there are only two bedrooms in the house. Aling wants her mother to stay with her to confine her. Ajie frowned and said that she had a headache. His son was noisy at night, and Ajie couldn't sleep more. He had to go to work during the day. When he got home, he said that he had headaches, back pain, and fell asleep when he fell back.

Aling was very depressed, afraid she would get postpartum depression when she was unconscious, so she quietly confided to her good sister. The good sister joked and said, "I think you're fine, your family is more like suffering from depression!"

Case 2 He became nervous when he became a dad

"My wife was nervous before and after childbirth, and it became more and more tense in the months to come." A Rong, who had just become a father, recalled that he was afraid of the child's insufficient nutrition and his wife was too hard. Arong was even more tense when his wife was still quiet after the due date.

"She finally gave birth in 5 days after the due date, but I couldn't get into the delivery room. When I was waiting outside, I was nervous and complicated." On that day, Arong didn't close her eyes for almost 24 hours.

After the daughter was born, his wife couldn't press the milk for a while, and she looked a little irritable. Arong beside him was at a loss, and was nervous again.

Psychologically: worry about wife and child health and future life

"Every family can basically only have one child. This process has been devoted too much effort, and as a child's father, tension is often a problem." Experts said that most men will feel before and after their wives have children. At a loss, many people have expressed concerns about the health of their children more than once. When their wives are unwell, they are more likely to be nervous because they know too little about this. Even if the child is born successfully, everything from energy input to economic income distribution has to be considered. Men are more likely to suffer from depression if their wives are in conflict with their parents. In addition, families with no elderly people to take care of their children and low-income families will have greater changes in their lives after having more children. As a head of the family, males have to deal with daily tasks and have to deal with the chores of life. Naturally, they feel a lot of pressure at once; after that, the wife pays more attention to the baby after pregnancy, and the male may As a result, they will be neglected to varying degrees, and psychologically immature men will feel hurt.

Postpartum depression in men can make new dads feel deep pain, depression, sorrow and sorrow deep inside. If men's postpartum depression is not treated in a timely manner, it can have serious consequences:

Patients will show violent tendencies, do not want to work, be inactive on anything, and have bad habits such as drug and alcohol abuse, which may seriously endanger the relationship between husband and wife, and even lose confidence in life, and choose to commit suicide. And studies have shown that parents with depression can have a negative impact on their children's physical and mental growth.

The American Institute found that these symptoms of men are not caused by hormones in the body like women, but may be due to some stress caused by the first father. These stresses include the cost of raising a child, changing relationships between husbands and wives, and the fear of parental responsibility. Moreover, men whose partners have depression or who have a family genetic history are more likely to develop postpartum depression.

The main causes of postpartum depression in men are:

First, because men lack sufficient mental preparation for child-rearing, a sudden addition of a child will greatly increase family expenses and increase economic pressure on men. For some low-income people, it is more likely to cause shocks, making them always worried. If you lose your job, you will have a greater mental shock.

Secondly, as a husband, in addition to earning money from work, he has to take care of his wife and children when he goes home. If he doesn't have enough rest and sleep, he may feel upset and tired physically and mentally.

Third, with a child, the wife usually transfers most of the energy to the child. The husband may have a large psychological gap. Some wives leave the other side sexually after giving birth. If they are not handled properly, they may also cause male emotions. Depression and depression.

Fourth, the new role is maladaptive. Because children are usually born within a year or two of a newly-married couple, and in these two years, men are generally still in the stage of adapting to a new marriage and are still adapting to the role of "husband"; the sudden birth of a child produces a new one. The "father" of the character needs to be adapted by the male, which may cause maladjustment of the character.

Postpartum depression in men is not terrible, and there are ways to prevent postpartum depression.

First of all, before deciding to have children, both husband and wife must give full consideration not only psychologically but also economically;

Secondly, we must correctly understand the difficulties that may be encountered in nurturing our children, and treat them with ordinary minds;

Thirdly, if you are a father, you should communicate more with your relatives and friends, tell your troubles to others, and ask for help;

In addition, it is important for men to learn to help themselves. Seven rules of self-regulation recommended by the American Psychological Association are worth learning from:

1. Don't blame yourself. Don't blame yourself "why did I get this damn disease", but understand that I need help urgently and actively embark on the path of seeking healing.

2. Follow the treatment plan. Take your medication as prescribed and see your doctor regularly.

3. Don't be discouraged. It takes a while to get back to normal, don't worry. Always say to myself "I'll be fine".

4. Simplify your life. Change your life appropriately. If you find something too difficult, just ignore it.

5. Participate in activities. Don't give up these opportunities, even if you're just a bystander at first, at something you know you can accomplish. Such activities can gradually restore your self-confidence, which is great for treating depression.

6. Recognize small progress. As long as the symptoms of depression improve a little, you need to learn to be satisfied.

7. Prevent recurrence. First, strictly follow the treatment plan formulated by the doctor and maintain good living habits. Second, stay alert for recurring signals.