Fathers and Perinatal Mental Health: A Guide for Recognition, Treatment and Management PDF
Preview Fathers and Perinatal Mental Health: A Guide for Recognition, Treatment and Management
“The book is a great resource, providing information on how a father can be affected by mental health issues during the perinatal stages, and the impact it can have on all of those involved during this important stage of life. It covers all types of ways that mental health issues can manifest and offers some great advice too. Thanks to Jane and Mark for getting this book together; it will be so beneficial to many” Ashley Curry, volunteer for OCD Action and Maternal OCD, keynote speaker for the NHS and the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, lay member and researcher for Tourette’s Action and teacher of IAPT therapists for OCD. “This timely book arrives when the place of men in Western society is poorly defined and less secure. Driven by post-industrial economics, the role of the woman, Dr Hanley and Mr Williams suggest, has been recast as both bread- winner and mother, leaving the male partner excluded and vulnerable. These changes, they claim, lead to mental health problems for the entire family but most perniciously for fathers. Controversially, they propose a surprising champion for the status quo” Stephen Paul Jones, RMN, BA, MBA, retired lecturer in Mental Health Nursing. “This exceptional book by Mark Williams and Dr Jane Hanley is likely to quickly become the go-to resource for fathers’ mental health. Written expertly and sensi- tively, it covers everything we need to know about diagnoses and conditions, the impact on the whole family, infant bonding and interaction, and crucial informa- tion on treatment and management. This book will shatter the stigma that fathers face and help make it more likely that they will come forward to get the support they need.” Dr Andrew Mayers, perinatal mental health expert, Bournemouth University. Fathers and Perinatal Mental Health It is only in recent years that there has been development in the awareness of the father’s mental health. Yet, the father’s mental health can influence the mother, the infant, the family and society. This book seeks to address the reasons why the father or the potential father could suffer from a mental disorder or illness during the perinatal period, his reactions and what can be done to help him. The book explores the way in which a father’s mental health has presented in the past and how it presents now. It looks at the father’s attitudes towards his mental well-being and how he may self-manage and self-medicate. It examines the impact and influence the potential father and the father’s mental health has on his partner, infant and children. The reasons for certain disorders and illnesses are outlined, along with how they may manifest and are managed. Treatment options and types of medication are discussed and the ways in which the father can access the best possible help and support. Stories from fathers who have suf- fered from a particular mental illness or condition help others to understand both the practicalities and realities. The uniqueness of the shared stories from fathers highlights why recognition, treatment and management are important to help other fathers improve their rela- tionship with their partner and infant and to improve their own well-being. The book is intended to help health practitioners and anyone who is concerned about fathers’ mental health. Jane Hanley has had an interest in perinatal mental health for almost forty years. She has written, trained and lectured extensively on maternal and paternal men- tal health, both nationally and internationally. Jane has had two other books pub- lished on perinatal mental health. Mark Williams is an author, speaker and international campaigner. In 2004 he himself experienced depression and anxiety after his son was born and has enhanced his knowledge after speaking to hundreds of parents since 2011. He has spoken on television and radio stations around the world and co-founded ‘International Father’s Mental Health Day’. Fathers and Perinatal Mental Health A Guide for Recognition, Treatment and Management Jane Hanley and Mark Williams First published 2020 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2020 Jane Hanley and Mark Williams The right of Jane Hanley and Mark Williams to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 978-1-138-33030-6 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-138-33032-0 (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-429-44794-5 (ebk) Typeset in Times New Roman by Nova Techset Private Limited, Bengaluru & Chennai, India Contents 1 Fathers and perinatal mental health 1 2 Importance of good perinatal mental health 7 3 Exploring the types and manifestation of disorders 33 4 The types of conditions 49 5 Cross cutting themes 71 6 The involvement of the father 85 7 Treatment and management techniques 95 8 Lifestyle factors 111 9 Pharmaceutical interventions 125 10 Conclusion 135 Index 143 Chapter 1 Fathers and perinatal mental health Introduction The state of being a father has changed, fatherhood has changed. The nuclear family with a mother, father and infant is no longer the norm (Ivens 2010). The past 20 years have seen changes in the average family unit. There are now more single fathers, same sex fathers and stay at home fathers with shared parenting. The diversity of situations has meant that society needs to take the concerns of fathers seriously. They are just as prone to suffer from mental illness in the perinatal period, as mothers. They can have attachment issues with their offspring and relationship difficulties with their partners. It is important that these factors are recognized, not only for the sake of the father, but for the sake of the family. For a while now, the focus has been on the mental health of the mother during the perinatal period, and as a consequence, that includes the mental health of the infant. However, this was not always the case. For centuries, mothers with mental health ‘problems’ were either ignored by society or incarcerated into institutions. The literature is littered with mad women whose behaviour was so outside the norm following the birth of their baby, there was little chance they would be able to look after their infant, and more likely, would have both themselves and their child taken into some form of care (Brontë 1847, Gilbert & Gubar 1979). If a woman became pregnant out of wedlock, that was always her fault and very little, if any, blame was laid on the man. In marriage, however, one of the prime responsibilities of the woman was to produce a son and heir. Matrimony was supposed to provide the safe haven in which to rear the child. The support of two parents, one to provide the childcare and the other to finance the arrangement was often the accepted convention. If fathers were mad, bad or indifferent, there were few who would challenge them. In the patriarchal societies, a social system where men held the primary power both within the home and in society, the man had the right to come and go as he pleased, with little to question his integrity or morals. Madness and insanity were rarely talked about and often feared. The fear was borne out of ignorance and the inability to treat, and in some instances, cure the person. Men who were mentally ill with mania were ordinarily aggressive, abusive and difficult to contain. Those who suffered from depression were morose
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