Unfortunately, 50% of those in the United States with major depression will never seek treatment for this perfectly treatable medical condition. You certainly shouldn’t feel alone if either you or your spouse is dealing with depression. In fact, statistics gathered from the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists found that over 98% of couples who have sought help through couple’s therapy felt they had received either good or excellent help. Therefore, this type of therapy can be a great way to help a marriage that is being strained while either one or both parties suffer from depression. With that in mind, here are four ways that untreated depression can place extra stress on a marriage.
- Not Taking Proper Care of Yourself
It’s common for depression to make someone stop taking care of themselves. For instance, someone that normally exercises might find that depression causes them to feel that this activity isn’t enjoyable anymore. Depression can often make people change their eating and drink habits from making healthy choices to ones that have a more negative effect on the body. In addition, exercise is one of the best natural ways for the body to fight against depression. - Losing Control of Emotions
Someone who is suffering from depression can have a difficult time feeling happy in many situations. It’s common for someone who has depression to constantly feel like they are in a state of sadness. Therefore, you could do almost anything for your spouse and depression might cause them to not react accordingly which places a strain on a marriage. In certain situations, people who are unable to control depressed feelings might find that their spouses begin to experience depressive episodes of their own. Therefore, therapy services are often utilized to helps couples in situations where one or both parties are suffering from depression. - Shutting People Out of Your Life
Another common symptom that someone is suffering from depression is if that person begins shutting others out of their lives. A family therapist often treats couples dealing with situations where one person feels especially shut out. It’s not healthy to continue to live in a marriage where one person is being shut out of another person’s life. Many adults know that life is already full of potentially stressful situations. Therefore, not having someone to relax and unwind from stress with can make you feel even more stressed out once you’ve come home. - Lack of Intimacy
While it’s not something most people with depression will want to admit, this condition can have huge effects on the more intimate moments of a marriage. Depression typically causes people to completely lose interest in activities that they used to find enjoyable. In certain situations, this places further strain on a marriage as the partner could feel they are becoming less attractive. These sensitive situations are best handled while they are being discussed with someone working in the field of therapy services. If you’re looking to save money on therapy expenses, it’s wise to seek out a licensed family therapist. Statistics show most couples spend 20-40% less on therapy services than if they had opted to seek marriage help through either a psychologist or a psychiatrist.
To summarize, there are several ways that depression can negatively affect a marriage. Someone living with depression can find it harder than normal to take care of themselves. People suffering from depression often find it difficult to feel emotions related to happiness. Couples often seek out family therapist services after one person feels shut out of the marriage. It’s common for those suffering from depression to unintentionally shut others out. A family therapist can also help a couple seek out and find problems that are causing a lack of intimacy.