The study found that a third of mothers experience depression before their child is 12 years old. The prevalence of depression during the first year after birth was also far greater among women. While one in 28 fathers was depressed during this early stage of parenthood this rose to one in seven among mothers.
The MRC and the Fatherhood Institute are calling for better screening for depression among fathers.
Professor Irwin Nazareth, director of the MRC General Practice Research Framework and lead author of the study, said: "It is standard clinical practice to screen new mothers for depression, but currently no equivalent scheme exists for fathers. Our research shows dads are in great need too."
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