I'm asking for a male friend of mine who is in a dire situation at the moment. His partner has post partum psychosis and is currently in a mental health unit. They have a 2 year old and a 9 month old. The psychosis started after the birth of the youngest. She has been in the unit for a month and based on her current review there isn't any signs of improvement and she'll be there for the foreseeable future. It's impossible to tell how long this will go on for.
They moved into a housing association home in February and my friend struggled for work throughout Covid and managed to get a job as a delivery driver for a supermarket chain. He is currently on unpaid leave and in his current position he can't go back to work. The children need him and he has no family support close by. He is doing his best but after visiting him at the weekend I can see he is struggling. He is a brilliant, loving Dad but this is a really tough situation. He is doing his best but he needs some support. I felt so sad when I went home.
He's basically run out money. I think pride may be holding him back from seeking help - council, food banks etc but the question is, what can he do? What help is available for someone in this situation, if any? If I can point him in the right direction maybe he'll reach out for the help.