Jess Montilla Tuarezca started experiencing perinatal depression and anxiety (PNDA) symptoms when his son was eight months old.
He said not having paid parental leave made things worse.
"I started a new job a month before he was born, so, it meant that I didn't have a whole lot of leave accessible," he told SBS News.
"That, the lack of sleep, combined with some financial pressures when my wife finished her paid parental leave, things got real, really quickly.
"I was basically working three jobs — one full-time and two side gigs."
Rates of PNDA are increasing, with one in ten Australian fathers now affected by the condition each year.
But a new report from Gidget Foundation Australia, a not-for-profit that delivers services to treat and prevent PNDA, has revealed "an alarming number" of fathers are dealing with PNDA without seeking or getting proper support.
Just 20 per cent of expectant and new dads with children under five said they were well-supported by their workplace during their partner's pregnancy.
Only a third felt well-supported by their workplace once they returned from parental leave.
Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia chief executive Julie Borninkhof said fathers were often neglected during the pre and post-natal period.
"The support system that wraps around in the perinatal period - perinatal period referring to the pregnancy period of a dad's life or the 12 months following the birth of their baby - is a really difficult time for dads to be able to be picked up surrounding their mental health," she told SBS News.
"We know that dads are not the focus of screening in Australia, and we also know that dads are often not viewed alongside mums and the baby during all of the health checks and things that would normally pick up mental vulnerability at this time."
Káti Gapaillard is the chief executive of The Fathering Project, an organisation that aims to promote positive fathering behaviours and fathers' engagement with their children. She said the issue of PNDA wasn't helped by people often becoming parents at a "very critical time" in their careers.
"The average age of marriage in Australia is 30. The average age of having a newborn is 33. And the average age of promotion to managerial roles is 30," she told SBS News.
"We also know that one of the most stressful periods in life are pregnancy and becoming a parent.
"All of those things together around the same time for men causes mental health issues for our men and in the workplace, especially if workplaces don't have support for flexibility and support for men to take time to spend time with their newborn and support their families."
Ms Gapaillard said while connectivity is one of the things that can help mental health issues, men are less likely than women to express their feelings or seek help.
"People should be encouraged to talk about their situation, and encouraging men to express their anxiety or what's happening with them," she said.
"We need to create a culture that supports men to be expressive about their health, and especially their mental health.
"We in turn need to be able to have those conversations, whether it's in society, whether they're friends or whether they're our colleagues at work … with men who are around us who are suffering about their mental health."
What are the symptoms of perinatal depression and anxiety among men?
Gidget Foundation Australia's clinical director Karen Edwards said almost half of Australian fathers don't realise that they can get PNDA, and two-thirds were unsure of the warning signs.
"Acknowledging that perinatal depression and anxiety doesn't just affect mothers is a really important step in helping men address their experience," she said.
Ms Edwards said it was normal for life to "feel very different for most new fathers".
"It's important to remember that every parent has bad days and the transition to parenthood is a period of significant change," she said.
"But if dads are feeling sad and anxious or irritable, feeling disconnected or isolated from others, or maybe they're noticing physical symptoms like changes in appetite, sleep, or energy, and they can't shift those negative feelings, that's when they might start thinking it could be PNDA."
Anyone experiencing those symptoms should visit their GP, she added.
Mr Tuarezca said he felt "lucky" that he was able to manage the situation properly because he was able to recognise his symptoms early and speak to his wife.
"The signs that I got were very clear," he said
"There were clear things about hurting myself, and I was just feeling like, 'Why is this happening? I just had a newborn and it should be the happiest time'."
Ms Borninkhof said a lot more could be done to support men, including addressing the stigma surrounding mental health problems.
"The only way we can break down stigma in this country is to be loud and proud in talking about the fact that it is normal to struggle," she said.
"That is a-okay, and we will pick you up and will support you to get back on track."
Readers seeking support with mental health can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. More information is available at .
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