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Pathologising fatherhood: the case of male Post Natal Depression in Britain

Lee, Ellie J. (2009) Pathologising fatherhood: the case of male Post Natal Depression in Britain. In: Gough, Brendan and Robertson, Steve, eds. Men, Masculinities and Health: critical perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, pp. 161-177. ISBN 978-0-230-20312-9. (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:25242)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.

Abstract

This chapter discusses the emergence of male Post Natal Depression (PND) as a health concern in Britain. Up to the early 1990s, PND was represented as an exclusively female condition. Some however – including medical professionals, academics and media commentators - now take a different view. PND, they suggest, can affect men and some argue almost as many men as women are affected. We offer here a sociological perspective on this development. First, we draw on work about the process of medicalization. Second, we consider social constructionist accounts of ‘the problem of fatherhood’. Third, we situate male PND in relation to analysis of ‘masculinity’ and its pathologisation. In conclusion, we suggest that a central aspect of the emergence of male PND is the validation of need for professional intervention in childrearing.

Item Type: Book section
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research
Depositing User: Ellie Lee
Date Deposited: 09 Aug 2010 16:23 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:03 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/25242 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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