Saturday, March 23, 2024

How Can I Tell If My Husband Is Depressed

When You And Your Husband Or Spouse Need The Help And How Online Therapy May Be The Answer

Leaving a Depressed Partner: 3 Things You NEED to Know.

Even the most open and loving relationships may experience times that intervention is necessary. Being supportive of your husband means being willing to say it’s time for help. During times like this, you and your husband may benefit from individual or couples’ therapy. While your husband may benefit from individual therapy, he may feel more at ease going to couples’ therapy with you at first.

There are many options available for counseling. Some couples may prefer to find a counselor or therapist that they can meet with in person, such as in a counseling center or support group. When meeting with a counselor in person seems difficult, especially if both your husband and you are unable to meet at the same time, another option is online counseling.

The trend of online counseling is experiencing increased popularity. With online counseling services, clients can schedule a time to chat online or have video calls with a counselor or therapist. BetterHelp, for example, is dedicated to providing professional counseling services to individuals experiencing difficulties. Our team of counselors, doctors, and social workers are educated to deliver quality mental health care. Our goal is to offer mental health care that is convenient and affordable, no matter what your situation. Read below for some reviews of BetterHelp counselors, from people experiencing similar issues.

Why Is My Husband Or Spouse Always Angry

Living in a marriage with an angry husband, especially where there seems to be a constant presence of anger or negativity, it can be easy to feel hopeless. However, as lonely as you may feel at times, there is help for overcoming the anger issues plaguing your relationship. In fact, with proper intervention, your husband can learn ways to manage his anger and to be optimistic. Also, by using the right resources, you can learn ways to cope with the effects of your husband’s anger.

For many couples dealing with marriage problems, marriage counseling can be an excellent resource. But, perhaps there are some things you can clear up in this moment by taking a look at his point of view. Does your husband work full time? Is he under a lot of stress? Although lashing out isnt right, that could be where your husbands anger comes from. The marriage problems you are experiencing could be because hes mad at a certain situation outside of your relationship. Maybe your husband’s anger is due to the fact that he has anxiety and would rather stay at home, so he is very defensive. There could be many factors going on that affect his mood, which is important to keep in mind.

You Are Just Overreacting If

Wife: He said, he will take me to , but its been years, and he never did.

Me: I understand the frustrations of broken promises, but if there are other priorities on his plate such as bringing home the bacon or trying to get a promotion to afford it. Then, just be patient.

As long as he is loyal, doing his best, and not spending his free time and money in the local red light district, Then it will come. Eventually. Maybe.

Do your part, take the high road of maturity, and be a loving wife when he is home.

Wife: He told me that he would spend all his days with me, Now, he is always at work. He comes home late and even works during holidays.

Me: Ok, there are two sides to this, either he is really working too much, or he is cheating on you. But I wont suggest the latter unless they do. The last thing we need is to give someone who is borderline depressed even more bad ideas.

Try to discuss it with your husband, Tell him to take care of his health and spend more time resting at home. Make him realize that working too hard will make him sick, and sick people dont work, and they also end up donating a lot of money to Doctor Quack Quack.

Try to bribe him to stay home. Drop your modern woman pride and learn traditional role servitude, such as cooking his favorite dish and all that. Come up with different excuses to get him to stay and talk about his job. Make sure its all about keeping him healthy so he can continue doing his job.

You May Like: Anti Depression Medication Side Effects

Suddenly Having New Behaviors Or Habits Not Typical For Them

Their typical routines are likely to be replaced by new behaviors and habits.

Someone with depression may:

Some of the symptoms your partner has might not necessarily be depression, or it may be a specific type of depression. In some cases, your relationship or marriage could be causing situational depression.

If your spouse is specifically feeling depressed related to , it may look like:

  • withdrawing from activities with you but not with others
  • a lack of interest in showing affection
  • disinterest in fixing things after an argument
  • emotional detachment

Codependency, enmeshment, conflict, and hostility are common boundary issues that you may wish to explore in couples therapy or marriage counseling.

These problems can potentially contribute to depression but they also leave both partners feeling unsafe, filled with mistrust, and unsupported.

Untreated depression can continue to worsen and affect your relationship, but there are ways you can support your partnerandyourself.

You may want to try:

  • Asking nonjudgmental questions, such as: Is there anyone you might feel OK around?
  • Encouraging low-pressure activities, such as a light movie or a walk just the two of you
  • Active listening, without interruption or advice
  • Maintaining your own self-care, such as keeping up with exercise and social needs

In a 2013 study reviewing literature on couples dealing with depression, researchers concluded that depression can create communication problems and erode intimacy.

Remember To Take Care Of Yourself

I feel like I can

It can be very stressful coping with another person’s depression. It’s OK to take some time out for yourself. Self-care is not selfish. In fact, you’ll both be better off if you carve out time to safeguard your mind, body, and spirit with habits like:

  • Spend time in nature
  • Stay socially connected

Caring for yourself might also mean knowing when it’s time to say goodbye. Certainly, this decision should be weighed carefully , but you may need to walk away if you or your children’s emotional or physical well-being or safety is at risk.

Read Also: How To Recover From Severe Depression

Strengthen Your Support Network

If your spouse has depression, they may not be able to support you in the same capacity as they used to. They may want to, but some of the symptoms they live with may make it challenging for them at the moment.

You may find it helpful to find people outside of your relationship, such as close friends and family, who can be there for you if youre facing challenges of your own.

How Do Toxic Relationships Affect Your Mental Health

Toxic relationships stress you out, and stress shortens lifespans. Relationships like this may cause you to feel more insecure or lower your self-esteem, which allows hurtful thoughts to pop into your head. They make you feel helpless, scared, anxious, and even paranoid. These are all symptoms of depression.

And, believe it or not, a bad relationship can cause mental illness. All of those feelings are gateways to some very severe mental health issues like depression or anxiety.

Instead of ignoring these red flags, consider what you can do differently to prevent them from knocking you down. And if you feel your depression getting worse or need help or support, reach out to friends, family members and/or professionals. It doesn’t have to last forever.

Read Also: Tired All The Time But Not Depressed

My Partner Is Very Depressed And Its Getting Me Down

The question My partner has suffered from depression for decades, but only saw the doctor once, stopped taking the medication after a few months, and refuses to go on it again. They wont talk to anyone or seek help professionally or from family not even me.

In the last two years, Covid has had a major impact on their mental health, and their behaviour on top of this is now affecting me massively. In the past, Ive been told Im very positive and happy. Im certainly not that now. But I dont want to go on medication myself.

I try hard to get things right, and Im not perfect but nothing I do is good enough for them. They talk at me as though Im stupid. It is not in my nature to be aggressive, but sometimes I have to defend myself. Im being constantly made to feel guilty that everything is my fault. Theres no logic to their thoughts.

They dont have any close friends or any hobbies, and they seem to resent me when I do things, but they wont do them with me.

I would like to see change how though? After so many years it seems unlikely.

Philippas answer It is as though you are both stuck in a game of who is right and who is wrong, each of you jostling for the superior position. Resentments mount up and yet you are both locked in. Neither of you is changing, neither is leaving.

Listening to feelings yours and theirs is the way to get unstuck

If you have a question, send a brief email to

Protecting Yourself From Your Angry Husband Or Angry Spouse

What I learned from my husband’s suicide | Lori Prichard | TEDxOgden

If having to deal with an angry husband is starting to take a toll on your marriage it can be easy to take it very personally. Its important to remember that anger issues are a strong indicator of a deep-rooted issue. His anger and his negativity are not your fault. Ignoring the way you feel about his issues and internalizing your feelings could lead to depression or anxiety for you. So, dont trick yourself into thinking, Im happy, as this can lead to more issues. Dont be afraid to reach out for help and support when you have to deal with an angry husband. Talk to your therapist about how you’re affected by your husband’s anger, and how you feel to learn new anger management techniques that both you and your husband can apply. Its important to seek advice when youre dealing with an angry person on a daily basis

Being there for your husband and showing support is great. However, dont forget that you must take care of yourself, too. Having a support system of friends and family will help prevent you from feeling lonely while living with your husband’s anger. Also, if you begin to feel overwhelmed, by constantly being in the presence of an angry person, talk with a counselor or therapist to help you work through your emotions. No matter how much you care for your husband, you are responsible for your own health and well-being. Its OK to take steps to make sure you are living your best life by mitigating the effects of living with an angry person.

You May Like: Help Me God I Am Depressed Quotes

Abuse Of Alcohol Or Drugs

Im just having fun! Relax! can be the refrain of someone who is using substances to ease their pain. People who are depressed sometimes use substances to try to treat their emotional pain, or self-medicate. Abusing alcohol or drugs only leads to more emotional problems of course, and puts off the process of learning to cope with the feelings by using their internal resources. Your spouse may need substance abuse treatment in addition to psychotherapy to address this issue.

Tips For Coping With Depression In A Relationship

If you are in a relationship with someone who has depression, you are likely struggling with a mix of emotions and hosts of questions.

What’s it really like to feel depressed? What can you do to help them through hard times? How will their symptoms and treatment impact your relationship? While every person’s experience with depression is unique, here are a few things you can do to help your loved one and yourself.

Recommended Reading: Dna Testing For Depression And Anxiety

See Depression As An Intruder In Your Marriage

Like any other illness, depression is an outside forcean unwelcome visitor wreaking havoc with your spouses health, your marriage, and your home life. Seeing it this way can allow both of you to talk about its effects without blame or shame. Once we started talking about it as a third partyas the depressionwe could express our frustrations constructively, Scott-Lowe says. If Dennis was really doubting his worth, I could say, Thats just the depression talking. Its not you. When youre not depressed, you dont think this way. Its feeding you lies.’

This shift in thinking can clear the air. It was a relief for me, Lowe says. I felt Emily was walking on eggshells sometimes, not wanting to tell me how she was feeling. Depression was the elephant in the room that no one wanted to talk about, and I felt even guiltier. Seeing it as the intruder was an accurate perspective. It helped me see why I felt the way I did and let me accept reassurance because it acknowledges whats going on instead of denying it.

Judgment Of Self Or Others

Why do people say teenagers can

I had a patient put it succinctly once: Sometimes I feel like I hate everyone, but I hate myself the most.

Since depression is often the result of turning ones anger against oneself, an important sign of depression is when your partner is overly hard on themselves for mistakes, frequently says negative things about themselves, or has difficulty realizing and reallyfeeling the positive aspects of who they are. This can result in your depressed partner being very judgmental of themselves. Since we often treat those around us as we treat ourselves, they also may become judgmental of those who are closest to them, even you. They can hold you to unrealistically high standards, or be very dismissive. Again, instead of criticizing back, the most useful tack is try to be sympathetic, for example by saying something about how painful it must be to feel like everything sucks.

Also Check: How Do I Come Out Of Depression

Check For Underlying Conditions

Dozens of health conditionsincluding heart disease, diabetes, lupus, viral infections, and chronic paincan trigger the same symptoms as depression, Walfish notes. So can scores of prescription medications, including some birth-control pills and drugs that treat acne, herpes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cancer. Your family doctor can rule out underlying causes and decide whether or not its really depression.

Create New Enjoyment Spaces

Beurkens suggests looking for enjoyment outside of your relationship.

Enjoyment with other people or in other places may make you feel guilty at first if youre not used to it. However, being able to connect with joy can help you improve your mood, which in turn can help your spouse.

Creating new spaces to share with your spouse may help, too. Living with depression doesnt mean they cant experience joy and happiness, even though it may be challenging at times.

If theyre up for it, consider inviting them to do something out of the ordinary, or reconnect with some of the activities they used to enjoy.

Not having expectations regarding the outcome of these moments may be helpful. Its natural if they have a difficult time and cant seem to have a good time. If this is the case, try to continue finding alternative spaces for you to enjoy solo or with other people.

Recommended Reading: What Is Depression Mental Illness

Your Partner Is Depressed

Depression is contagious. It’s not contagious in the same way as the flu, but one study showed it’s a social contagion theory, explaining that humans will naturally adopt the behavior that is around them.

When someone is depressed, he/she tends to see the world including you through dark glasses. If you adopt your partner’s view, you’ll sink down emotionally, too.

Encourage your husband or wife to attend therapy sessions or even take a walk outside. Sometimes little things like that can give them a sense of purpose and get them out of their head for a bit. However, a therapist would be best.

Focus On Small Things

My Marriage Is Making Me Depressed | Help Me Snap Out Of It!

In the midst of all this, its important to remember that your spouse is still the same person theyve always been and will appreciate little things like a hug, kind words, or just listening to them without judgment. When you focus on the small things, it can help remind both of you that there are good moments even in the darkest times.

Also Check: Can Self Care Help With Depression

If You Think Your Partner May Be Depressed Your First Step Is To Pay Attention To The Clues To Get The Right Diagnosis And Treatment Here’s What To Look For And How To Take Action

When one spouse is depressed, a marriage is depressed, says Fran Walfish, relationship psychotherapist in Beverly Hills, CA, author, and co-host of Sex Box TV. This illness erodes emotional and sexual intimacy and suffuses a relationship with pessimism and resentment, anger and isolation, she explains. Even the sunniest, most capable partner can be pulled into depressions strong undertow. For example, you may be overwhelmed by extra household chores that your partner is too lethargic to finish, resentful because your spouse wont just snap out of it, or feel that youre somehow to blame for the illness itself. You may feel alone yet unwilling to tell anyone theres depression in your household, or you may simply wonder when the sparkle and joy, and the humor and fun seeped out of your relationship. A challenging marriage can worsen depression, but it doesnt in and of itself cause it.

Popular Articles
Related news