has anyone had to cope living with a partner suffering from depression?if so how did you cope?

Question:

my husband has been diagnosed with depression and refuses help of any kind from the gp he has changed so much in the past couple of months he sits at home ignores me and the kids the atmosphere is terrible its come to the stage where i am thinking of leaving him as he is making me depressed and ill he said he never does anything for himself and always tried to please the family and is now sick of pretending to be happy im just so deverstated i feel like the marriage is ending and theres not a thing i can do about it he seemed so happy before and i cant help blaming myself for making him feel like this not that i can think of anything i have done wrong to him please can anyone give me any advise on depression as i dont understand it and can you get better without professional help ?

Answers:
First of all, do NOT blame yourself. Depression is caused by different chemicals in the brain and the nerves not doing what they're supposed to do. This is no one's fault but biology's. I haven't been in your exact position but a similar one, my mom has depression and I lived with her all the time growing up and now on and off now that I'm in college. The best thing you can do for him is continue to love him. He needs to know that you don't blame him. The best thing you can do for yourself, however, is distance yourself from him a little, and maybe tell him that if he doesn't get help YOU WILL STILL LOVE HIM but you might not be able to live with him anymore. In most cases depression needs medical interventions as well as psychological ones. If he doesn't want to go on medication for depression he can talk to a doctor about some herbal remedies, but he sould not try to self-medicate without first talking to a doctor. The only time depression does not need medical help is when it is situational...caused by some major life event like the death of a loved one or losing your job. This kind of depression goes away with time or when the situation gets better. It sounds to me thoug that your husband has clinical depression, caused by chemicals that are not doing their job. Tell him this. Do some research...www.medformation.co... or www.webmd.com are good places to start. Get him the information that shows him it is not his fault. Maybe then he will be more open to seeking treatment. This will be hard on you as you might need to do both your own job and his as far as your children go for a little while. Explain to them that daddy "isn't feeling good" or "is sick" and help them find ways to give him a little space until he finds a solution that works for him.

I was diagnosed with manic-depression 10 yrs ago. It took all that my wife had to try and stay with me. I was put on massive amounts of drugs and became more manic than depressed. After some time she just gave up. I lived with my brother for a while and he made me realize I didn't need the drugs just a more positive self image.Remind him how much you depend on and love him Tell him he can come through this if he will allow you to help him get through it.

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has anyone had to cope living with a partner suffering from depression?if so how did you cope?

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