LONDON - Fathers are not much behind mothers when it comes to getting the blues, especially after a baby’s birth. By the time their first child is 12, some 21 percent of dads will have suffered at least one bout of depression, says a new study.
Thedepressioniscausedbytheextrapressuresafterchildbirth,thankstolossofsleepandheavierresponsibilities,saidresearchersledbytheMedicalResearchCouncil’s(MRC)ProfessorIrwinNazareth,reportstheDailyMail.
Researchersexaminednearly87,000familiestreatedfordepressionbetween1993and2007orprescribedanti-depressants.
Withinayearofhavingtheirfirstchild,threepercentoffatherswerefoundtohavesufferedfromdepression.Thisroseto10percentbythetimetheirfirstchildwasfour,16percentbyeightand21percentby12.
Meanwhile,some13percentofwomensufferedfromdepressionbythetimetheirfirstchildwasayearold-afigurethatreached24percentbyfour,33percentbyeightand39percentbythetimetheirfirstchildwas12,thestudyfound.
SteveField,leaderoftheBritish44,000familydoctors,said:”Thisshouldraiseawarenessofthestressesandpotentialproblemsaheadfordadsanddads-to-be.”
–Indo-AsianNewsService
