Support for Dads and Carers

The need

According to the Institute of Health Visting (2021) Approximately 10% of fathers experience perinatal mental illness, and 25-50% of fathers will experience perinatal anxiety or depression when the mother also has a perinatal mental illness.
The number of men who become depressed in the first year after becoming a dad is double that of the general population. Twenty five percent of dads experience mild depressive symptoms and around 10% to 12% have a diagnosis of depression. – NCT (2022)

“Dads have not gone through the physical trauma of childbirth so might not want to ‘complain’ about feeling awful after what their partner has gone through. Dads must be on it from minute one to make sure everything is in place for mum and baby. It’s a lot of pressure and can be completely overwhelming”.

Quote from a Dad who has used The PANDAS Foundation services

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Fathers and their mental health

Fathers play a critical role within families. Whilst attention is paid both physically and from a mental health aspect for mothers during and beyond the maternity period (quite rightly!), many fathers’ mental health is not acknowledged or considered and is often overlooked.

Whilst work is being done to create more pathways for access for mental health support for men, much more needs to be done for the considerations throughout the maternal journey for dads too. Fathers talking about their feelings, having more understanding and education of perinatal mental illness in men, and seeking help can not only support themselves seeking the vital support and recovery they need, but also allow others to feel they are less alone and potentially reach out for help.

Our work to date

We currently support fathers who need help with their mental health throughout the parental journey (for information about Dads’ Mental Health conditions please do click on our pages here for more). 

But we want to reach many more dads and carers through our eight support services and inspirational and encouraging social media pages.

In December 2023 PANDAS Foundation hit our target of reaching £5K which was then doubled to £10K funded by The Big Give. Our commitment is to improve, expand and reach more dads and carers who need us by expanding our services and maximising our knowledge and reducing stigma around fathers and their mental health. We are in the process of recruiting men who would like to volunteer for us. If you would be interested please head to our “volunteer for us” pages.

For information on signs and symptoms of postnatal depression and perinatal mental illness in fathers, please head to our ‘What is PND pages’
We are working hard on new ideas and can’t wait to share more!

PANDAS Support services in place for Dads and Carers

PANDAS Foundation recognises and encourages support for fathers and carers from conception through to birth and beyond. Within our charity we have male volunteers who have all previously received support by The PANDAS Foundation services. They all now have the training and lived experiences that is relatable to many dads who use our support.

We also host a monthly support call for Dads and non-birthing parents, providing a safe and inclusive space for any dad or non-birthing parent to come along and discuss the challenges they face during their parenting journey or while supporting someone else with perinatal mental illness. This call runs on the last Monday of every month between 8-9pm. For more info on the monthly Dads and non-birthing parents call, please head to this link.

How you can help us

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