Postpartum Depression in Men

Can Men Get Postpartum Depression?

Yes. Men and non-birthing partners develop depression after a baby arrives, and it is common, measurable and treatable. It is usually called paternal postpartum depression, or paternal postnatal depression. Because it spans pregnancy as well as the first year, researchers increasingly say paternal perinatal depression.

It looks different from the version most people picture. In fathers it is more likely to show up as irritability, anger, withdrawal or working longer hours than as visible sadness. And it is almost never screened for. A 2026 Danish study of 42,680 fathers found that screening and diagnosis identified largely different dads. Mothers are asked about their mood at prenatal visits, postpartum visits and the baby’s checkups. Fathers are usually not asked at all.

If you are a new dad and something has felt wrong for weeks, that is worth taking seriously. It is not weakness, and it is not a failure to cope with something everyone else manages.

Find a therapist who treats postpartum depression in fathers

How Common Is Postpartum Depression in Men?

About 1 in 10 new fathers. Two large meta-analyses anchor that figure:

• 10.4% across 43 studies and 28,004 participants, measured from the first trimester to one year after birth (Paulson and Bazemore, JAMA, 2010).
• 8.4% in an updated analysis of 74 studies and 41,480 participants (Cameron and colleagues, Journal of Affective Disorders, 2016).

For comparison, about 11.9% of US mothers report postpartum depression symptoms. See our postpartum depression statistics.

The “1 in 4 Dads” Figure

You will see it claimed that one in four fathers gets postpartum depression. That number is real, but it describes one window rather than the whole year. The 2010 JAMA analysis found the rate peaked at 25.6% between three and six months after the birth.

The evidence on that peak is not settled. The larger 2016 update found that the timing of assessment did not significantly change the rate. What did change it was how depression was measured, where the study was done, when it was published, and whether the mother was also depressed.

The accurate version is this. Around 1 in 10 fathers are affected, and one well-known analysis found a sharp rise at three to six months. That is later than most people are watching, and it is long after anyone is still asking how the father is doing.

When Both Parents Are Depressed

Depression in one parent raises the chance of depression in the other. The 2010 analysis found a moderate correlation between paternal and maternal depression (r = 0.308).

An earlier review found rates of 24% to 50% among men whose partners had postpartum depression, and it named maternal depression as the strongest predictor of depression in fathers (Goodman, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2004). If your partner is being treated for postpartum depression, you are the person most likely to be struggling next to her, and the least likely to be asked.

Signs of Postpartum Depression in Men

There are no separate diagnostic criteria for postpartum depression in men. A clinician diagnoses it as depression that happens to arrive with a new baby, using the same standard of symptoms lasting at least two weeks. What differs is how it tends to look from the outside.

Signs that are often missed in fathers:

• Irritability, a short fuse, or anger out of proportion to the cause
• Withdrawing from your partner, the baby, friends or family
• Working longer hours, or disappearing into your phone, games or the garage
• Drinking more, or using other substances to take the edge off
• Feeling numb or flat rather than sad
• Physical complaints like headaches, stomach problems or constant exhaustion
• Impulsive or risky behavior
• Losing patience with the baby, or avoiding time alone with them

The classic symptoms of depression still apply:

• Low mood, emptiness or hopelessness most days
• Losing interest in things that normally work for you
• Feeling worthless, or like you are failing your family
• Trouble concentrating or making decisions
• Changes in appetite or sleep beyond what the baby explains
• Thoughts that your family would be better off without you, or of hurting yourself

That last one needs a response today, not at your next appointment. Call or text 988.

A 2023 analysis of the research on paternal perinatal depression found the same pattern. Its defining features were emotional symptoms, physical symptoms, negative parenting behavior and “masked” symptoms, the ones that do not read as depression to the man or the people around him. For a fuller list, see signs of postpartum depression.

Baby Blues or Depression?

Almost every new parent is tired, stretched and short-tempered some of the time. The difference is pattern. Ordinary stress rises and falls, good days still land, and rest or a night out helps. With depression, the low mood, anger or flatness persists for two weeks or more, and it does not lift when things go well. Read more about the baby blues.

What Causes Postpartum Depression in Men?

There is no single cause. It usually builds from several pressures landing at once on someone who was already carrying some of them.

Risk Factors With the Strongest Evidence

A 2021 meta-analysis pooled the studies that measured risk factors in fathers (Wang and colleagues, Journal of Affective Disorders). The factors with statistically significant links were:

Low social support, perceived stress and the number of children also reached significance. The authors found no significant link with infant factors. They also cautioned that these studies show association, not cause.

Sleep, Money and a Changed Relationship

The day-to-day version of those numbers is familiar. Broken sleep for months, a new financial weight, less time and closeness with your partner, and a sense of being on the edge of the bond between mother and baby. None of these causes depression on its own. Stacked together, on top of a history of depression or a stressful job, they can. For how this plays out between partners, see postpartum depression and relationships.

Hormones

Men’s hormones change after a baby arrives too. Testosterone tends to fall in new fathers. In a study of 149 couples, fathers with lower testosterone reported more depressive symptoms at two and nine months postpartum (Saxbe and colleagues, Hormones and Behavior, 2017).

The same study found that higher testosterone in fathers was linked to more distress in mothers and more relationship conflict. The authors warned that treatments that raise men’s testosterone may have unintended consequences for the family. The hormone change is real, but it is not a reason to self-treat with testosterone.

How Paternal Postpartum Depression Affects the Family

This is not only about the father’s own well-being, though that would be reason enough.

In a study of more than 8,000 fathers, depression in the weeks after birth was linked to about twice the odds of emotional and behavioral problems in children at age three and a half. It was also linked to higher odds of conduct problems in boys. Those links held after accounting for the mother’s depression (Ramchandani and colleagues, The Lancet, 2005).

A 2025 meta-analysis of 48 cohorts confirmed the direction and put the size in perspective. Fathers’ perinatal distress was associated with poorer social-emotional, cognitive, language and overall development in children, but the effects were small (Le Bas and colleagues, JAMA Pediatrics). The links were stronger for distress after birth than during pregnancy. The authors called it a potentially modifiable factor, which is the hopeful part. Treating a father’s depression is one of the things that can change a child’s odds.

How Postpartum Depression in Men Is Diagnosed

Only a licensed clinician can diagnose depression. The practical problem is that nobody routinely offers fathers the conversation. Pediatric guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics sets up screening at the baby’s 1-, 2-, 4- and 6-month checkups, but that screening is built around mothers (Pediatrics, 2019). If you want to be assessed, you will usually need to raise it yourself, with your own primary care doctor or a therapist.

Screening Yourself

Having a score makes that conversation far easier to start. The PHQ-9 for depression and the GAD-7 for anxiety are free, validated in adults generally, and score themselves on this site in about three minutes. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere.

The Edinburgh Scale Needs a Lower Cutoff for Men

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is the most widely used postpartum questionnaire, and it was built for mothers. When researchers validated it in 208 fathers, the best cutoff for detecting depression or anxiety was 5 or 6 points, two points lower than the cutoff for mothers in the same study. Fathers also endorsed the item about crying far less often (Matthey and colleagues, Journal of Affective Disorders, 2001).

In practice, a father’s score that looks reassuring by the usual standard may not be. If your EPDS total is in the single digits but you recognize yourself on this page, say so.

Treatment for Postpartum Depression in Men

Postpartum depression in fathers is depression, and the treatments that work for depression work here. The fact that it is rarely talked about does not mean it is harder to treat.

Talk Therapy

Psychotherapy is a first-line treatment, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy. Both are structured and practical, and both fit the problems new fathers describe: conflict, role change, isolation, and thoughts like “I am failing at this.”

Medication

Antidepressants are an effective option for moderate to severe depression. For fathers, pregnancy and breastfeeding considerations do not apply to your own prescription, which keeps the decision simpler. Talk it through with a prescriber, and do not stop a medication abruptly on your own. See postpartum depression medication.

Father-Specific Programs

Programs designed specifically for fathers are promising but thinly studied. A systematic review found only 11 studies. Three of five psychosocial programs and three massage-technique programs reported significant effects, while none of the couple-based programs did. The authors flagged weak study designs across the field (Rominov and colleagues, Infant Mental Health Journal, 2016). That is a reason to start with proven depression treatment, not a reason to go without help.

Support Groups and Peer Support

Talking with other fathers who have been through it cuts through the sense that you are the only one. Postpartum Support International has resources and peer support specifically for dads. We also list postpartum depression support groups.

Couples Counseling

When both partners are struggling, or the relationship itself has become the pressure point, couples counseling can help. Research on couple-based programs aimed at preventing paternal depression has not shown clear effects, so it works best alongside individual treatment rather than instead of it.

What Helps Day to Day

These do not replace treatment, but they make treatment work better and protect against things getting worse:

• Protect a block of sleep. Trade night shifts with your partner so each of you gets one unbroken stretch.
• Cut back on alcohol. It worsens sleep and mood, and it is the most common way men medicate this without noticing.
• Move every day. A walk with the stroller counts.
• Tell one person the truth. A friend, a brother, your doctor. Saying it out loud is often the turning point.
• Stay in contact with the baby. Feeding, bathing and skin-to-skin time build the bond that depression tells you is not there.
• Watch the work creep. Longer hours can feel productive and be avoidance.

If You Are the Partner

If you think the father of your baby is depressed, you may be the only person who notices. The signs are more likely to look like anger, distance or long hours than sadness. Raise it at a calm moment, name specific changes rather than a diagnosis, and offer to go to an appointment with him. If you are also struggling, you are not choosing between his care and yours. Both of you deserve help, and one parent’s treatment tends to help the other. See support for partners.

Where to Get Help

• Start with your own doctor. Your primary care doctor can assess depression and start treatment or refer you.
• Find a therapist who treats perinatal depression. Many work with fathers and couples, in person or by telehealth.
• Postpartum Support International runs a free HelpLine for parents, fathers included. Call 1-800-944-4773, or text “Help” to 800-944-4773.
• In a crisis, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, free and 24 hours a day. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.

Postpartum Depression in Men FAQs

Can men get postpartum depression?

Yes. About 1 in 10 new fathers experience depression between their partner’s pregnancy and the end of the baby’s first year. It is under-recognized mainly because fathers are rarely screened, not because it is rare.

What does postpartum depression look like in men?

It often looks like irritability, anger, withdrawal, working longer hours, drinking more, or feeling numb, rather than obvious sadness. The classic signs of depression, like low mood and lost interest, can be present too.

When does postpartum depression start in men?

It can begin during the pregnancy or at any point in the first year. One major analysis found the highest rate between three and six months after birth, though a later, larger analysis did not find that timing made a significant difference.

How long does postpartum depression last in men?

Without treatment, depression can last months or longer. With treatment, most people improve. There is no reason to wait for it to pass on its own.

Can a man get postpartum depression if his partner has it?

Yes, and his risk is considerably higher. Studies have found rates of 24% to 50% among men whose partners have postpartum depression.

Is there a test for postpartum depression in men?

There is no blood test. Questionnaires like the PHQ-9 are used for screening, and on the Edinburgh scale a lower cutoff of 5 or 6 has been validated for fathers. A clinician makes the diagnosis.

Can non-birthing mothers and adoptive parents get postpartum depression?

Yes. Depression after a new child arrives does not require having given birth. Non-birthing partners in same-sex couples and adoptive parents can experience it, and post-adoption depression is documented.

What can a husband do if he thinks he has postpartum depression?

Tell someone, whether that is your partner, your doctor or a therapist. Take a free PHQ-9 so you have a number to bring. If you have any thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988 today.