A new study suggests that postpartum depression is as common in new dads as it is in many new mothers after there have been reports of many new fathers who have shared their experience on this front. According to researchers who examined data from more than 5,000 two-parent families, about 14 percent of mothers and 10 percent of fathers showed signs of moderate or severe postpartum depression.

The study, which first appeared in the August 2006 issue of the journal Pediatrics, said, "The long-standing belief of many people, including physicians, has been that postpartum depression is due to hormone changes in women that take place after childbirth."

"Obviously, fathers wouldn't be susceptible to changes of this nature and, probably because of this, haven't been a focus of study," the study authors added.

Postpartum depression (also postnatal depression) is a form of clinical depression which can affect women, and less frequently men, after childbirth. It is widely considered to be treatable. Studies report prevalence rates from 5 to 25 percent but methodological differences among the studies make the actual prevalence rate unclear.

According to Mental Health America, the symptoms of postpartum depression can often be confused with any clinical depression, such as sadness, fatigue and hopelessness. The mother or father often experience drastic changes in mood and appetite, excessive preoccupation with a child's health, or intrusive thoughts of harming the baby.

Health Day news reports that hormonal changes can be one of the factors contributing to this depression in women, but "no definitive hormonal cause" has been identified.

The research also found that this kind of depression in either parent was associated with reduced interaction, and the fathers with greater levels of depression were found to interact with their child less.