How to Handle an Overly Depressed Spouse

There is nothing more frustrating than having an overly depressed spouse living with you. Isn’t it?

It is so true that there are lots of factors that can make one depressed but do you now that it is even more frustrating having to see your loved one experience such and also having to witness such?

Depression is an emotion that controls an individual if not managed properly so if you notice that you have an overly depressed spouse, there are ways of handling such behavior.

Notice depressive signs:

If you have an overly depressed spouse, there are certain traits or behavioural signs he or she would display.

Such signs cannot be hidden as they easily show on the person affected. An overly depressed spouse will do the following:

• Withdraw him or herself or pull away from you
• Keep to him or herself
• Think out aloud
• Look sad or unhappy all the time
• Utter words that may or may not make sense
• Show acts of regrets

It is important to look out for such signs so that help can be rendered to the spouse involved in depression.

Speak to him or her:

If you notice your spouse having the signs listed above, the first thing to do is to talk to him or her at least before drawing conclusions.

You need to find out why he or she is depressed and the only way to do this is by speaking to them. Its only in speaking that you can find out what the problem is.

Distract the overly depressed spouse:

An overly depressed spouse needs to be distracted so that he or she can forget those disturbing thoughts bothering them.

Try doing things to take their minds off whatever is wrong. Ask them what they would like to do or where they would want to go.

If you get no response, do whatever you feel would make them happy. Depression is negative in nature so the distractions you present should be positive.

If after you do all these, there is no change in your spouse, then I believe more drastic actions ought to be taken. You might have to do the following:

Inform family members:

Depression comes in various stages and if your spouse’s condition becomes severe then that is a different story entirely.

This is why you need to act fast because in cases like this, you cannot handle such a matter on your own.

You need the support, advice and guidance of family members in times like this because if you don’t, you might have yourself to blame if something goes wrong.

At this point, your overly depressed spouse needs all the help he or she can get so let family members know what is going on.

Seek medical help:

Extreme cases of depression need medical attention and as such, take your spouse to the hospital so he or she can be treated.

Let your spouse speak to a professional:

A depressed individual needs to be examined by a professional so that the reason behind the depression can be discovered.

If your spouse cannot speak freely to any member of the family, he or she should be able to open up to a professional.

This is because a professional knows his job and knows the right questions to ask to get information from your spouse.

Ensure medication is adhered to:

Once your overly depressed spouse is looked at by a specialist, ensure he or she takes their medications seriously.

Most times, people who are depressed have to take medications for a period of time until they are okay so make sure your spouse religiously takes their medications without skipping any to be fully well.

Regular checkups must be done:

While your spouse takes his or her medication, regular visits to the hospital must be done to assess his or her improvement.

This is necessary to judge how well your spouse has improved or not.

Depression is not a good thing and living with an overly depressed spouse is worse.

Adhere to the tips above and I believe things would be okay.