Relationship

Things to Do When If Your Partner in Depression

September 22, 2021

Depression is a slow poison that readily kills a person's identity and shears it into tatters. It will make you feel lonely, hopeless, guilty, and useless. The world around you becomes dark and tragic with the sorrows of an unknown burden on your shoulder. You felt heavy and need to get rid of it but, you can't found a way out.

That is what exactly depression does to your partner and, they continuously seek out help. See how much your love and care support them to get out of the dark alley of depression. It is essential to learn about depression, its cause, symptoms, and treatment.

Sometimes medication and therapy are not shown such progress in recovery from depression. The observation shows your love and support produce synergistic effects with treatment. Your humble words have a positive impact on your partner's conditions. Save your partner to be lost in the dark alley of depression and taking life-threatening steps such as suicide.

Learn About Depression

To help and support your partner, you must first understand and learn about depression. It is necessary to know the causes, symptoms, and treatments to better support. Learning about depression will help you to understand the feelings of your partner. And how that may affect your partner. Sometimes actual causes and problems are not clearly shown have to dig a little deep.

You may think this may be because of weakness or laziness. It is dangerous to neglect the symptoms of depression that lead to suicidal attempt in some cases. Depression is an actual biological-based illness and can cause without any reason sometimes. And he/she is not thankful or satisfied with their lives and their achievements. Here you ay wrong at this point because depression wipes out all the bright shiny events of life and leaves only the darkness of sorrows and worries.

The symptoms of depression vary from mild to severe. These are the red flags if you see such changes in your partner.

Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or guilt
Lost interest or pleasure in daily activities
Changes in appetite (weight loss or gain)
Disturbed sleep (too much or little)
Anxiety or restlessness
Anger outburst
Fatigue and loss of energy
Difficulty in decision making or to concentrate
Thinking about death or suicide

Be There

After noticing the symptoms of depression in your partner, try to convince him/her you are there for your partner. Asure your presence and talk openly about why these changes occur. What are the thoughts and feelings? What are they are lack in their life? Show your love and affection to them to buy some gifts, flowers, and cards for your partner.

Take your partner on a weekend trip, long drive, a road trip, a movie, shopping, and on a romantic holiday. Maybe the changes in the surrounding will rectify the symptoms. You can also find an interacting activity for your partners like painting, sports, dancing, and group talks. Sometimes these activities work secondary to the treatment and lightened the symptoms.

Become a good listener and listen to your partner patiently, humbly, and attentively. Show your partner that he/she is the most important. There is nothing more prior than him/her. Offer your help without any hesitation. Tell your partner you both will pass safely through this period. You will be there for him/her in every way. Remember the simple words can solve the riddles sometimes.

Bring your partner to the bright light of life with little candles of your beautiful memories of both of you. Talk when you both have fun last time or when you feel your love is growing stronger. Share beautiful moments you both spent together. Discuss and rediscover the closeness between the two of you.

8 Questions You Ask To Know About Symptoms

There are a few things and questions you must ask your partner to know if he/she is suffering from depression. These questions will help to understand the severity of the symptoms. Before starting the treatment, you must know the level of severity of symptoms of depression.

These simple questions sometimes perceive the root cause of depression. These questions will show your interest in your partner's condition. It gives hope to your partner that you are willing to help out him/her from this dark phase. It is like you are offering a hand to a person in a low and dark pit. Here are the 8-questions you must ask your partner if he/she is in depression.

Can you help me to know how you are feeling?
What activities in which do you enjoy?
Do you enjoy yourself with other people?
How do you sleep more or less than usual?
How do you eat more or less than casual?
How are your energy levels?
Are you able to concentrate on things nowadays?
Do you have thoughts of death or suicide?

6 Questions to Avoid

Sometimes a small mistake will make things more worsen. You must be aware of them to make the therapy effective. Try not to hurt your partner in any way. You must be careful in talking openly to your partner about depression. It may result in angry outbursts and fights.

Be humble because your partner may be irritable, angry, and withdrawn. The sudden outburst has started with a single word or sentence. Avoid the blame game as they are already blaming their selves. They are in a shade of guilt and, shame helps them fade out.

Make things lighter around the home with your tone and behavior. Don't be judgemental and avoid any conflict created undisputedly. Your partner may lose interest in spend time with you or even slept with you. That may bring a fight between the two of you and, you may feel like losing all things. Let your partner give time and space to cope with depression plus your support. Here are 6-questions as an example.

Why can't you cheer up?
When will you be okay?
Don't I make you happy?
Can't you understand that is all in your head?
Why are you making such a big deal about this?
Don't you see how lucky you are?

Understand And Validate Their Feelings

It is necessary to understand the feeling of your partner to impose the positive effect of therapy. Realize the conditions and circumstances that pass through your partner. Let them know by your actions and talks you are aware of your partner's feelings. Your partner does not need your sympathy that may be unacceptable and hurt your partner. And your partner starts to do self-pity rather than to get out of it.

There is a fine line between sympathy and empathy. You must be careful and do not cross the line. It would be discouraging for your partner. The better way to demonstrate empathy is to do what the person says. For example, if your partner says he/she does not see things will be better. You answer that by saying, " it seems like you are not hopeful for the future." Instead of scolding your partner or blaming you must answer the question in a similar tone.

Do not leave your partner to wander and be lost in the dark alley of depression. Pick your partner's hand and take him/her to the right path. "Everything will be okay" or "tomorrow will be better" phrase will not make any change in your partner's condition. These words can show sympathy instead of love and care.

Ask Them What They Need From You

Move one step further and ask your partner openly what they actually want from you. Ask questions like:

How do I help you?
What you want me to do for you?

Sometimes a little time or gesture will be helpful. The person in depression feels solitary and lonely. Maybe they ask to spend more quality time with you. Few minutes from your life can be a game-changer in this case. Sometimes they seek your attention and love in most cases.

Little gestures like hugs and hold a hand can soothe the agitation and gives heartfelt comfort. Physical interaction plays an essential role in any relationship. It is best to shown love and cares for your partner. Physical interaction makes your partner emotionally peaceful and calm. And it reminds them how much you do care for your partner.

Try to cook some home meals together or find any other social exercise. You can arrange a little gathering of your partner's close friends and relatives with whom they can share some thoughts and ideas. You can encourage your partner to spend more time with their best buddies. Let them hooked with a child or pet if it is possible.

Visit the doctor with your partner regularly and let them know in advance about the next appointment. Try to give medication if prescribed by your hand with some words of love and care. Remember the time of medicine has given and doctor's appointment. These things are the key to support your partner.

Encourage Treatment

After identifying depression symptoms, you must encourage your partner for professional help. Sometimes symptoms of depression are not visible initially but, lifestyle changes are red flags such as disturbed sleep, changes in appetite, and anger outbreaks. Convenience your partner to realize that depression is an illness that must cure. It is not just their feelings and thoughts in their head. It is dangerous to leave it untreated.

People with depression have both good and bad days with their moods. On a good day, they feel better and think they are out of depression. But when an episode of depression hits them, they are still there at the initial point. They show no recovery or progress to get out of the depression phase.

Depression is a trap with no escape must help your partner with proper treatment. Seek the treatment method that suits best for your partner. Treatments like therapy, medicine, and exercise. Consult with a doctor and know which is the best for your partner. Sometimes it is very late to realize that your partner needs help. It ends in worse conditions with permanent damages.

9 Things to Do To Provide Support during Recovery

Patients with depression recover more rapidly have the support of their partners. Your physical and emotional support enhances the effect of treatment. Either it is therapy, medication, or exercise, you see the progress. There are 9-things you can do to show your support to your partner during the depression.

Help your partner with appointments and medications. Remind your partner of the date of the next visit and the time of their medication. Sometimes it is hard to take your partner for an appointment. Make him/her comfortable to visit the doctor unhesitantly.
Spend some time cooking a delicious healthy meal with your partner. Encourage your partner for healthy eating and find better choices for them.
Do exercise with your partner daily. Encourage him/her to take few more steps or do more. Exercise keeps you fit and also boosts your mind to cope with depression.
Produce a stressless environment around the house. Prepare day-to-day routine of the house chores, exercise, and medications. People with depression felt better to control everything and feel more confident.
Set small achievable goals for your partner. Sometimes people with depression are unable to do daily routine work. Make them write about their daily goal and achievements.
Make them more social and arrange some small gatherings for them. Select people carefully invite those with whom they socialize easily.
Plan different fun activities with your partner like painting, dancing, watching a movie, and playing card games.
Remind your partner of his/her progress and success in the recovery phase. Encourage them more and assure them they can do more.
Avoid forcing for the treatment or putting pressure to see a doctor. It makes things worse and uncontrollable.

Accept that there will be bad days

Depression occurs in periods or episodes with different behavioral changes. Try to accept those bad days when your partner had a particular episode of depression. Manage the things around the home more often than you do in routine.

Plan some activities in that period for both of you. Either you will have fun with gathering or alone. The activities keep your partner's mind distracted from depressing thoughts. Also, you both have some quality time in spear rather than a clash between the two of you. Make your partner's mood enlighten by cracking some jokes or light humor comedy.

Keep your love and support to your partner, don't withdraw as your partner have bad days. Try to comfort them with the embrace of love and affection. Hold their hand and give them strength to fight the depression. Give them hope and assure them this period is not lasting long. The good days will come and, you can thoroughly pass this worse part.

Look After Yourself

Caring for the person in depression is a frustrating, draining, and frightening process. You must be very patient, humble, and active. A person is seeking love and care from you with unlimited expectations. You must be very healthy and mentally strong to tackle your partner in and off the episodes of depression.

Self-care is not a selfish act in this case. It has been observed that a person is more vulnerable to developing depressive symptoms. The risk is pretty high where a husband taking care of his wife having depression. The depression badly affects both partners emotionally and mentally.

Keep yourself and your partner away from conflicts and darker discussions. You do try these things and, you can protect yourself from being affected by the symptoms of depression.

Eat healthy food.
Get complete and enough sleep.
Try to stay positive and don't lose hope.
Be realistic about the treatment progress as recovery from depression is a slow process.
Do regular exercise that keeps your body and mind fit.
Prayer regularly or meditated to get inner peace which helps to cope with depressive thoughts.
Participate in enjoyable activities or take out time for hobbies.
Socialize yourself and frequently meet with your friends and family.
Ask for help from your friends and family members.
Join a discussion group of families suffering from depression.

Warning Signs of Suicide

The risk of suicide is high when the symptoms of depression become severe. The life-threatening condition occurs if therapy and treatment are not enough to rectify the symptoms. The study shows that 80% of suicide persons have depression.

Keep your eyes on your partner if you see any red flags and unusual behavior. You must be aware of those signs that may lead to attempting suicide. Get close to your partner if you feel any signs mention below here. Keep the harmful things from your partner's reach let them be safe. Do not leave them unattended if symptoms get worse and seek professional help.

Here are some red flags and warning signs that can guide you to protect your partner and save their lives.

Your partner is talking too much about death or suicide with your or doctor.
Your partner had a suicide plan written somewhere in their belongings or discuss with a friend.
They are preoccupied with suicidal thoughts.
Prepare to attempt suicide by collecting means like buying a gun or pills.
Prepare their will and things when they have gone from the world.
Distribute their belonging to their favorite or loved one person.
They are saying goodbye to friends and family on calls or by messages.
The visible changes notice in daily routine behavior.
Extreme mood swings that are high one day and discouraging the next day.
They stay in solitary and socially withdrawing themselves.