Good to Talk · Helping a mate · Free. Always.
Check on dads too
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E. If you need urgent mental-health help but it is not an emergency, in England call NHS 111 and select the mental-health option or use NHS 111 online where appropriate.
New dads and experienced dads can struggle while everybody understandably asks how the baby, kids or partner are doing.
Ask about him
Sleep, pressure, finances, relationship changes, feeling useless, loss of freedom or identity and fear about being a good dad can all weigh heavily.
Make help practical
A meal, a walk, watching the kids for an hour, helping with a job or giving him somewhere to talk can reduce the load.
Don't normalise serious deterioration
Exhaustion may be common in parenting. Persistent hopelessness, severe anxiety, withdrawal or thoughts of suicide still deserve proper help.
Useful next pages
Trusted help & further reading
- NHS — where to get urgent help for mental health
- NHS Every Mind Matters — helping others
- Samaritans — if you're worried about someone else
This section is practical guidance, not emergency or clinical care. If somebody's safety is at immediate risk, use emergency services.