Is Post-Natal depression in men possible?

godspal

Post-Natal depression in women is an non-intentional reaction to a series of chemical reactions.
However men have been noted to suffer from a feeling of withdrawal, depression and/or anxiety after the birth of a child. Could this be an intentional internal reaction to a series of external events? Or are we to believe that the state of consciousness is so malleable that men can actually react chemically to the arrival of a child?

Naz_st

I'm not sure whether the "conciousness is malleable" is quite the right phrasing, but certainly I think that this behaviour could be reasonably attributed to the control (sub-conscious or conscious) that the mind has over the body. Especially when you consider the occurrance of phenomena like "sympathetic pregnancy" (couvade) in western society.
So it's probably more than philosophically possible, but realistically possible and explainable by virtue of psychology (the mind/brain is still an ill-understood entity).

Nevyn

That is parental depression.

Post natal has a physical trigger, the onset of parental depression does not.
Parental depression is due to the changes and up heaval becoming a parent,
the phyiscal work or having to tend to a newborn or the new way of thinking
and new worries and fears which did not factor into a person's life before.

Men do chemically react to the arrival of a new born,
new baby smell has been proven to contain pheromones which will cause those
tending to the baby to bond with them which is why Dads should have time
off work to bond with the baby.

orestes

Moved from philosophy forum as I think this is more of a psychology question