How to Live with a Wife with Chronic Depression

Living with a wife with chronic depression can be mentally and emotionally challenging. Personal well-being as well as the marriage can suffer. Depression is a diagnosable mental illness and is listed in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). It is characterized by several symptoms, including changes in eating, changes in sleeping patterns, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts, withdrawn behavior, and withdrawn behavior. Though living with a spouse suffering from depression will always be difficult, it does not have to be torture.

Instructions

How to Live with a Wife with Chronic Depression

• 1

  Recognize that the depression is a mental illness that your wife suffers from. Your wife is not the enemy in your relationship. The depression is.

• 2

  Remain supportive of your wife, even when she is difficult to live with. Try to be as understanding and nonjudgmental as possible.

• 3

  Work on your relationship with your wife by partaking in activities that you two enjoy together, such as going for a walk, watching a museum, going to dinner, playing a game, or visiting a museum. Interacting with your wife is the best way to bring the two of you closer together.

• 4

  Suggest that your wife seek professional assistance. Depression is rarely successfully treated without professional assistance, generally including therapy and anti-depressant medication.

• 5

  Seek support for yourself. Living with a depressed wife can be incredibly draining, so seek support in friends, family, or a counselor. You cannot be truly supportive of your wife unless you are taking care of yourself.