I was diagnosed with PTSD after my daughter was born – dads like me need someone to talk to

If we engage men and boys in the conversation around gender equality and put more effort into finding solutions to the issues that affect them, writes Elliott Rae, we will create a better world for all of us

Having been through the most traumatic experience of my life, I felt it was my duty to get on with it (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

I had a call from the school, my son was having a mental health crisis and I had to go and pick him up. But I felt like I couldn’t tell my manager. In my workplace, there’s an unspoken rule that men don’t prioritise family. It’s work first. I picked up my son and joined my next meeting from the car while he was crying in the back seat. No one was aware of what I was dealing with.”

This was from a dad I spoke to a couple of months ago. It’s a common story of how conventional ideas of masculinity still hold strong.

And I can relate to this on a deeply personal level.