Support for spouses of the depressed Community Group
support for people that deal with daily depression from their significant other but do not fully understand how to deal with it. I try but i never know if I am helping or hurting with my reactions and responses.
My husband says he's depressed. He put it on Facebook. He drives a truck and gets lonely because he's by himself for some long hours. The last few hours of his shift he says are the hardest and there's no getting him out of the depression. I haven't suggested he see a doctor yet. Not sure how he'd take the suggestion. We were at church last Sunday evening and he and this lady got talking and realized they have a lot of family things in common such as their dad's being in prison. She and her family were moving back to California after service. Anyway, when he mentioned his depression on Facebook she said if he ever wanted to talk he could message her. He said thanks, that he was thinking of doing that. I'm wondering is it normal for someone with depression to open up to a stranger they've known a total of 5 minutes? He won't share anything with me and yet he's accused me in the past of not communicating.
Maybe you can have a conversation with him, probing him to understand why he's accused you of not communicating. My spouse speaks to me about feelings of depression a lot. Most of the time I am there to listen, hold hands, and to comfort. But sometimes, when I too have had a bad day or a bad week, I tune it out and change the subject. It's terrible and I feel guilty afterwards. Do you think you've shut him down in the past when he was trying to talk to you?
I think gently introducing the idea of seeing a therapist might be a good idea. Your husband seems willing to speak up about his feelings. I'm currently convincing my spouse to do the same.