Trail Blazing Woman’s Insight 5 for managing depression within a committed relationship:
If your partner is suffering with depression and you are concerned or anxious about their wellbeing, take the lead in the relationship and point your partner in the right direction!
My experience has been that depression will not go away by ignoring it and no matter how much love, understanding and energy you pour into your partner’s life, this alone will not heal the depression.
Recognise depression for what it is. It is an illness that needs treatment just like any other illness the human body can experience and needs specialised care.
If your partner is showing the symptoms of depression one of your biggest challenges will be to assist them recognise they have a problem and need to seek out medical attention.
This is where you will be mixing your extraordinary skills as a communicator and as the “leveller” in the relationship.
Your General Practitioner is a good starting point.
They could recommend that your partner seeks out the professional care of a psychologist or psychiatrist who is an expert in balancing the medications that may be necessary to assist your partner recover.
I say “thank heavens we have access to the medical practitioners who are specialised in the area of emotional and mental wellbeing”. Each situation is different and it is wise to be guided by the specialist you may be referred to.
You will experience a great sense of release and relief when your partner is under the care of an expert.
The specialist also assists with keeping your partner accountable in relation to strategies they need to apply to assist their recovery and also to ensure they continue to take their prescribed medication.
In another blog we will look at alternate therapies that can be of great assistance and support to yourself and your partner as they move forward on their road to recovery.
Christine McRae, The Trail Blazing Woman, christine@trailblazingwoman.com.au
© December 2009, The Trail Blazing Woman
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.