Focusing on Fathers: Recognizing the Role of Paternal Mental Health in Family Well-Being during the Postpartum Period

Fathers play a critical role in the lives of infants and mothers in the postpartum period. Research has demonstrated that fathers with mood disorders can have negative consequences on maternal mental health and child well-being. However, strategies for identifying paternal depression are lacking, and issues often go unrecognized and unaddressed. This article describes three fathers struggling with paternal depression. The stories highlight challenges to identifying paternal depression in the postpartum period and the struggle to connect fathers with mental health resources that will adequately address mood concerns. The authors provide recommendations for improving the identification of and response to paternal depression.