Posted by Alice on December 24, 1999, at 21:47:33
In reply to Depression and Relationships, posted by Nancy on December 24, 1999, at 1:58:31
Hi Nancy,
I know what you are going through...maintaining a relationship can be tough while also dealing with chronic major depression, which I have suffered from since I was 13 (I am 23 now.) For the most part, my husband is very supportive of my emotional problems. However, I often feel, and know, that my husband does not always understand what I am going through or feeling. Sometimes when I cry for no good reason, he'll act frustrated, or downright question my reason for doing so, because he feels in some way responsible for me being depressed. It can be hard for him to understand that it is a chemical imbalance in my brain which makes me depressed. So when he can see no obvious reason for my mood, he often blames himself. This only makes matters harder on me. I try to reassure him that it is not his fault, and just wish in my mind that he could understand what I felt inside. My mood swings can lead to arguements, tension & alienation. On Thanksgiving, I was too depressed to go to his parents for dinner, and that angered him. I know he wants a happy wife that will be always able to celebrate holidays with him. But the bottom line is, he loves me, and I love him, and he accepts me for who and what I am...the good with the bad. And I guess that is what I am trying to get at...my best advice to you is very simple: Never be ashamed by your depression, always be honest and up front about it with whomever you are with, and, most of all, find someone who can love and respect you unconditionally, depression and all.
Best of luck,
Alice
poster:Alice
thread:17415
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991212/msgs/17460.html