After reluctantly seeking help from his doctor following the birth of his daughter three years ago, Steve Sharman is speaking out to support other new dads
Credit: Steve Sharman
NEED TO KNOW
- A British man is speaking out about experiencing postpartum depression after becoming a father for the first time
- Steve Sharman tells PEOPLE he went through “some very difficult moments” with thoughts of harming himself and his daughter, but never acted on them
- He sought help through antidepressants, therapy and the U.K. charity PANDAS Foundation, which supports people with postpartum depression
A British man is opening up about his experience with postpartum depression after becoming a father, revealing that he struggled with thoughts of harming himself and his infant daughter before reaching out for help.
After Steve Sharman and his wife, Emily, welcomed their daughter, Florence, in August 2023, he began experiencing feelings of intense anger. Florence was just a few days old.
Sharman first spoke publicly about his experience during an appearance on the U.K. news program Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, Aug. 12, explaining in a clip shared to Instagram that hearing his newborn daughter cry made him angry.
Credit: Steve Sharman
“The crying really triggered something inside me, an anger I’ve never felt before — I’m not an angry person; I’ve never been an angry person,” Sharman told hosts Richard Madeley and Ranvir Singh.
He explained that he never reacted to babies crying in public before being a dad, but wanted to “throw” his daughter when he was holding her in a bid to “solve the crying.”
“There is no getting away from the fact my experience was tough and I went through some very difficult moments with thoughts of harming my daughter and myself,” Sharman added to PEOPLE.
After experiencing those thoughts, he “reluctantly” went to see his primary care doctor. “I very nearly left the waiting room before I saw him,” he recalled. “I felt sharing what I had been through was unnecessary and a waste of everyone’s time.”
Credit: Steve Sharman
But after Sharman spoke to his doctor, he said it became clear he needed help. He was prescribed antidepressants and underwent therapy.
“Nothing was fixed immediately,” he told PEOPLE. “Alongside the continued communication with my wife, I could slowly begin to work toward some sort of recovery.”
Credit: Steve Sharman
Appearing on Good Morning Britain alongside her husband, Emily said it was “scary” to be aware that he was having these thoughts, particularly because he didn’t have any prior history of mental health issues.
“He’s been the rock for me through other things, so for it to be him seemed so bizarre,” she said on the show.
Sharman found support from the U.K. charity PANDAS Foundation, which helps people affected by postpartum depression and related conditions, telling PEOPLE that a video call with the charity helped him realize he wasn’t alone.
Now, he returns the favor by volunteering for the charity and speaking to other new dads.
Sharman said Florence, who turns 3 on Sunday, Aug. 16, was watching her parents on Good Morning Britain. “Daddy loves you lots,” he said, addressing her, before turning back to the hosts. “She’s my world,” he told them, “I love her to bits.”
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Sharman also wants other new parents to know that having children is “hard” and “tough” at times, but “extremely rewarding,” too.
“Men are guilty of keeping all emotions in as it can be seen as a weakness to share that you are struggling, however there is no shame in admitting things are hard,” he told PEOPLE.
“My advice to anyone going through tough times is to talk, communicate with someone you trust, whether this is a partner or spouse or friend,” he added.
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