245 upvotes, 2 direct replies (showing 2)
View submission: Yes, Dads Can Struggle With Postpartum Depression—Here’s Why
I read things like this and... sometimes I wonder If I'm the one taking crazy pills. PPD/PPA in both men and women is waved away as this sort of magical mental disorder that arises after the birth of a child, sometimes vaguely related to "hormones."
Which, I mean, fair enough I guess.
But like, you know what really fucks with your hormones? Sleep deprivation. You know what lowers testosterone? Not getting enough sleep. You know what skyrockets your stress levels? Not getting enough sleep.
You know where PPD doesn't really exist? Places where new mothers get massive community support in the first few months after the birth of the child.
Like, sleep deprivation is used as a literal means of torture on prisoners, and I almost never see it get mentioned as a cause of post partum depression. I am also nearly 100% convinced that this is single largest cause of PPD in men, which is probably why you see it more in progressive men who are probably giving up more sleep relative to their conservative peers during the newborn phase.
Comment by Hendeith at 10/01/2025 at 16:02 UTC*
72 upvotes, 0 direct replies
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Comment by SidTheSperm at 10/01/2025 at 16:31 UTC
26 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Interesting - do you have any studies on PPD not really existing in areas with well supported mothers? My understanding is that PPD is often triggered by external factors, like you point out sleep deprivation as well as anxieties about being a new parent, realizing your old life is gone, etc. but I also understand that it is often triggered by the hormonal cocktail that women have to go through during pregnancy, during birth, and post-birth.
Don’t doubt you, just curious for a source because this would shift the way I understand PPD