Lid lifted on dads with baby blues

A HIDDEN epidemic of postnatal depression in fathers has been exposed by a parliamentary inquiry.

Experts say one in 10 fathers are affected, and are calling for more help for them.

University of Newcastle Associate Professor Richard Fletcher has told a NSW parliamentary committee on community services that policy-makers, clinical staff and even some dads were unaware they might experience PND.

A National Perinatal Depression Initiative screens women during pregnancy and four to six weeks after birth, but there is no such option for men. Yet 10 per cent of men struggle with anxiety or de- pression the year after birth, according to Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia.

National peri-natal mental health guidelines issued last October acknowledge paternal depression may affect child wellbeing.

US research showed depressed fathers were four times more likely to spank infants and less than half as likely to read to them.

Other studies showed that children of affected fathers were more likely to show bad behaviour in pre-school and to have received a psychiatric diagnosis by age seven.

But the guidelines acknowledge that fathers have few opportunities to raise their concerns and that “nurses find including fathers when screen- ing mothers a challenge”.

Professor Fletcher, of the faculty of health sciences, said he would like to see health services adopt new technologies that support fathers, such as his SMS4dads phone service, which sends positive text messages, written as if they were coming from the baby, to new and expecting fathers.

He insisted fathers shouldn’t be seen as simply “a helper” to mothers.

“If he’s depressed before the birth, it could increase the chances of a premature baby,” Prof Fletcher said.

“It could also increase the chances of her getting depressed and the chances of the children having behavioural problems and cognitive difficulties,” he said.