Partner with depression (How to manage)
By
OptimistMinds
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Author bio
The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
In this guide, we are going to discuss what it’s like for a person having a partner with depression and how can help it.
Partner with depression
Partner relationships go through various situations, some being more difficult than others, but in many cases, they manage to resolve them and the relationship continues to grow.
Sometimes there are situations which are a bit more difficult to solve.
Some problems attack one of the people in the relationship, but it does not stop affecting the other party, especially when they live together.
When in the relationship one of the people suffers from some kind of illness, it is a hard battle.
It affects both the person who suffers and the one who does not.
Who has it suffers because it is the one who has the disease and suffers who does not have it because of the suffering that its partner has.
Some diseases manage to be exceeded and others that take a little longer.
Diseases such as depression can be difficult to cope with when a person has a partner with depression.
Depression as such is a serious mental illness, where the person suffering from it suffers from the symptoms it brings.
When a person has a partner with depression and sees the way the disease consumes their body, they worry.
A depressive person locks itself in its world, sees everything negatively and has negative hopes about life.
A person who has a partner with depression will find itself in a struggle to help its partner.
In many cases, the person will feel that its help is little or does nothing so that your partner can get out of depression.
It is more difficult even when the couple lives together. The person who has a partner with depression watches daily as depression manifests itself in the person he loves.
The person who has a partner with depression knows that it will be difficult to make their partner recover their mood from one day to another or worse, in many cases the person does not know that their partner suffers from depression and can misinterpret their behaviours.
You may think that your partner no longer loves you when they are the symptoms of depression that are manifesting.
The person suffering from depression does not want to feel that way, but it is difficult to get out of that situation.
It is difficult to overcome the disease and it is more difficult for your partner to know what to do.
At the time of a person helping its partner with depression, it must know what it is, its symptoms and causes because, although depression indeed has similar symptoms, each person is different and manifests itself in different ways.
What is depression?
Depression is a mental illness characterized by feeling sad and hopeless for most of the day.
This disease is part of DSM-V mood disorders and its symptoms cause the person may not be able to perform their daily activities.
Depression makes the person find no meaning to what once caused satisfaction.
It has a negative mindset about most things.
Depression means that a person cannot function optimally for their job functions, it prevents the person from sharing with their friends and family, in short, the person is isolated from everything.
Symptoms of depression
The person with depression manifests a series of symptoms.
While it is true that not everyone manifests in the same way, several of these symptoms are usually common.
Among the symptoms of depression are:
- Feeling sad and hopeless for most of the day, which is accompanied by a vacuum.
- Loss of interest in activities that you previously performed and that were to your enjoyment.
- Little ability to concentrate and ease to forget things
- Problems falling asleep and at the same time sleeping for most of the day.
- Headaches and digestive problems.
- Variant mood states, at one time the person experiences anger and irritability.
- Loss of interest in sexual relations or low sexual performance.
- Suicidal thoughts and actions related to suicide
How can a person help their partner with depression?
A person who has a partner with depression thinks how they can help their partner overcome the disease.
Sometimes you will feel that your attempts do not help much, but there are some actions you can take to help your partner with depression.
The first thing is to provide support. The depressive person has a negative perspective on many things around, so it is important to stay by its side.
Try to be positive, but not in exaggeration since the depressive person will perceive it.
Use encouraging language and make your partner see things from another perspective.
Your partner will feel the support and it will be easier to open with you over time.
Another of the actions to be carried out is to motivate your partner to seek professional help.
Depression is not a disease that goes away by itself, the person needs the right treatment to understand the disease itself and how to overcome it.
In some cases, there are people with depression who are reluctant to seek other help because they believe it will not work, but others do access help.
The health professional will help your partner with depression to know the reasons why he suffers from this mental disorder and the strategies to deal with it.
The most common treatment is cognitive behavioural therapy, combined with drug treatment.
Their good results have been proven.
If your partner receives drug treatment, you must know the side effects so that you do not misunderstand their behaviours.
You can also help your partner with depression trying to redo the activities that once caused pleasure.
The depressive person just wants to be hidden, tries to avoid contact with anyone, stays locked.
Do not let so much desolate time pass, but try to motivate your partner to take a walk, take fresh air and relax.
Among the alternative treatments is meditation. The positive results of meditation have been proven.
Encourage your partner to put it into practice.
Meditation helps the person not to load its mind with negative thoughts, a recurring symptom in depression.
While it is true that these are things you can do for your partner, you should also think about yourself.
Do not neglect because of all the support you are giving your partner with depression.
Take care, do not let symptoms negatively affect your mood.
Ask about depression so that you know fully what it is and can differentiate it from another behaviour that your partner may have.
Sometimes people, to help others, forget themselves and this is not something that should happen.
Continue to support your partner with depression daily but also take care of yourself, your physical and mental health.
Remember that depression is a disease that does not go from one day to another, but these actions will lead both of them on the right track.
FAQs about partner with depression
What can I do if my partner refuses to seek medical help for his depression?
What you can do from an understanding attitude motivate you to seek help.
Explain the reasons why medical treatment is favourable for its condition.
Depressive people in many cases reject the help they are given because they believe it will not work.
Be patient and show empathy.
What happens if my partner is not treated for depression?
Depression is a mental illness where, if the person does not receive the treatment required, the symptoms of the disorder will get worse over the years.
Among the symptoms of depression are suicidal thoughts, which become actions when the depression worsens.
Why does a person develop depression?
Depression has various causes, among which are genetic and environmental.
Studies have found that people who have a family member who has suffered from depression are more likely to develop the disease.
Experiencing a traumatic event can lead to the person developing depression such as suffering a traffic accident, the loss of a job, moving from one country to another due to economic crisis situations, the death of a loved one or the breaking of a job.
Relationship or divorce are some of the situations that can lead a person to develop depression.
What can I do if my partner’s depression is affecting me to the point of making me feel very bad?
If the symptoms of your partner’s depression are affecting you there are some things you can do, one of them is to help your partner to seek help to reduce the symptoms.
If you start to see progress, at the same time you will feel better since there is an improvement.
But if your partner does not want to seek help and you feel that there is nothing else you can do, it is best to keep a distance.
It’s hard to leave your partner in a situation like this but you also have to think about your mental health.
What actions, apart from medical treatment, can a person take to help reduce the symptoms of depression?
Apart from psychological and pharmacological treatment, the depressive person can practice meditation, exercise and avoid excessive alcohol consumption.
Also leading a healthy lifestyle helps the person feel more positive.
Conclusion
Having or living with a partner with depression can be difficult for both the person who has the disease and the person next to him.
Depression does not heal overnight, it requires time, treatment and patience on the part of both.
The person who has a partner with depression must be strong as there will be more difficult days than others where the symptoms of the disease will become stronger.
Remember that your partner does not want to be depressed, but it is difficult for that person to receive help because it believes that nothing will work.
The depressive person needs a lot of support, even if it doesn’t ask for it, it sees everything negatively, but that doesn’t stop a person that has a partner with depression encourage it and making the partner believe that if it decides to seek medical treatment, its life will change positively.
In this whole process, if you have a partner with depression, don’t forget about yourself.
Do not let the symptoms of your partner’s disease affect your health. Learn when it’s time to get close and when it’s time to getaway.
Recommended links
- Living with Depression: How to cope when your partner is depressed
- Living with the Black Dog: How to Cope When Your Partner is Depressed
- Talking to Depression: Simple Ways to Connect When Someone in Your Life is Depressed
- Depression Fallout
References
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