When A Loved One Has Depression

Don’t be a saint!

If you care about someone who may be suffering from depression, you are affected in ways you may not even register at first. But like other illnesses, you have already been “exposed,” and fallen into an experience that puts your relationship at risk, and makes your own well-being more vulnerable. There’s more than one sufferer of depression in a relationship.

There is a contagion that inflicts harm on each person. I know this as a clinical psychologist who treated depression sufferers and the people who cared about them. More importantly, having suffered from severe depression myself, I can now see the ways that my suffering burdened my marriage, my motherhood, my family and friends.

Many of the early symptoms of depression are “invisible” from a distance. However, you may begin to have a vague uneasiness about changes in family members, or friends. It’s difficult to pinpoint and articulate, but leaves you wondering unnerving questions. ‘“What’s going on?” “Is there something going on between us?” “Have I done something wrong?” The depressed person is often unaware of changes in his or her behavior. They are more attuned to how lousy they feel. But as time goes on, the questions multiply and the answers diminish. You just know that some thing is isn’t right. But what can you do?

Before concluding that a loved one is clinically depressed, it’s important to rule our other influences. Perhaps there are problems within your relationship which need to be depressed. There may be secrets, like deep disatisfactions or infidelities. Maybe a friend is angry at you for your recent neglect. Your performance may have fallen off at work, but your boss isn’t being direct with you. Your mother’s sorrow following the death of a friend may look like depression, but is really normal grief. It’s important to address these concerns directly so that you don’t immediately leap to conclusions about depression.

In addition to sad mood and pessimism, depression has symptoms that are poison for relationships.

Related posts:

Talking about race isn’t a personal attack on white people…it’s simply a start to a larger conversation.. Truth is, it doesn’t matter how educated you sound, or how well you dress. It doesn’t matter…

A website for a company from any industry, including the healthcare industry is the primary digital marketing asset for that company. A good website can drastically improve the firm’s credibility…

passion is a major driving force for any successful person in the universe. It can go a long way to help you get what you didn't have. Passion can set you apart from your competitor and make you…