This is not surprising. Mostly, postpartum depression remains undiagnosed in men, due to the popular misconception that it is caused by the hormonal changes a mother experiences after giving birth. "

That's wrong," says Andrew Mayers, a psychologist specializing in perinatal mental health at Bournemouth University.

First, there is some evidence that men's testosterone levels drop when they become fathers. Second, he says, “postpartum depression is not just hormonal. It's about a series of factors in the psychology or history of each individual that come in on top of everything else."
 
In 2016, a meta-analysis of research found that 8% of men experience postpartum depression. But academics last year found that screening tools for detecting it in women (the Edinburgh scale) are less reliable when applied to men, suggesting the real figure is much higher.

Elia Psouni of Lund University in Sweden, who led that research, says 22% of male respondents in the study had experienced postpartum depression.
 
Research has shown that men who have a better relationship with their partner and bond with their newborn have a greater drop in testosterone levels than those who do not.

It can seem taboo for women and men to acknowledge the extent of personal disruption that a child can bring.

There is strain on relationships, sleep deprivation, changes in financial stability, the impact of birth experiences… People can feel very, very isolated.

It's a really difficult time in different ways for everyone.