New dads need better mental health support so they can take 'pressure' off ... trends now
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New fathers should get better mental health support so they can help take the 'pressure' off mothers, NHS chiefs have said.
The NHS in England is expanding support services for partners of women who have had a baby, with options being trialled including face-to-face counselling, organised 'dad-and-kids' pram walks and Zoom games nights.
Research shows around one in four women experience mental health issues during pregnancy or in the postnatal period, while up to half of partners of mothers with postnatal depression also have depression themselves.
In a blog post, NHS England's associate national clinical director for perinatal mental health, Dr Giles Berrisford, and chief midwifery officer, Professor Jaqueline Dunkley-Bent, praised new services which were supporting 'fathers who are scared and overwhelmed or unsure how to support their partners'.
They wrote: 'Through
