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Depressed Men Behaving Badly Can Stop

by John Folk-Williams 40 Comments

Frowning Man in Dark Glasses

There’s a story on this site that never, unfortunately, gets old. It’s about depressed men breaking up their relationships as a misguided way to get well and find fulfillment. The psychotherapist, David Wexler, has good ideas about how men can change the experience of their closest relationships without leaving. He looks at the problems of […]

Filed Under: Men and Depression Tagged With: authenticity, feelings, marriage, men, partner

The Loss of Feeling in Depressed Partners

by John Folk-Williams 243 Comments

Disreality Illusion

Living with depressed partners can mean living without the feelings of love that are at the heart of every relationship. What is it about depression that could turn intimate companions into cold and blaming strangers? Readers ask about this over and over as their partners start blaming them for their own unhappiness and want out […]

Filed Under: Depressed Partners Tagged With: feelings, loss, marriage, partner

How Depression Spreads

by John Folk-Williams 12 Comments

Separated man and woman watching sunset

Depression spreads through the closest relationships almost like a communicable disease. I learned the hard way that the illness didn’t happen to me alone. It happened to my children, my friends, and most of all to my wife. The pull of depression took me away from her and everyone else. I often felt I was […]

Filed Under: Depressed Partners, Isolation Tagged With: family, feelings, intimacy, marriage, partner, relationships

Becoming an Active Partner in Depression Treatment

by John Folk-Williams 2 Comments

Most stories about getting life back from depression describe how each person had to become an active partner in treatment in order to recover. I know it’s not easy to think about being active when you’re deeply depressed, but there’s a lot of support for the idea. Dozens of research studies indicate that if you can take a leading role, your chances of improving are better. There are at least three ways an active role can help you.

Filed Under: Healing, Self-Help Tagged With: partner

Can You Be a Therapist for Your Depressed Partner?

by John Folk-Williams 26 Comments

therapist for your depressed partner

A couple of readers have asked me to comment on whether it’s possible or advisable to try to act as a ‘therapist’ for your depressed partner. This idea came out of responses to one of the posts on relationships that has attracted the most attention on this blog: How Can You Communicate After Your Depressed […]

Filed Under: Depressed Partners Tagged With: connecting, intimacy, partner, support, therapist

When Depressed Partners Blame and Leave

by John Folk-Williams 3 Comments

depressed partners blame and leave

Part of running Storied Mind is responding to a steady stream of emails and comments from readers, and most of them concern the collision of depression and close relationships. They are mostly from people who have watched their depressed partners turn into angry strangers who leave. It’s a theme I’ve written about many times, but […]

Filed Under: Recovery Tagged With: Anger, awareness, blame, partner

If Your Partner’s Depression Returns

by John Folk-Williams 16 Comments

If your partner's depression returns

When a partner’s depression ends, a couple may feel happy disbelief as they emerge into the light again from a long darkness in the relationship. They’ve been desperate to understand how an intimate partner could possibly have grown silent, angry, emotionally never there, reluctant to touch or talk about anything. Then suddenly they’re back, feeling […]

Filed Under: Depressed Partners Tagged With: empowerment, intimacy, partner, treatment

How Couples Stay Together

by John Folk-Williams 31 Comments

How Couples Stay Together

Many couples manage to survive depression with the help of marital therapy, even though most relationship therapies aren’t designed to deal with the added problem of a mood disorder. I’ve been doing a little research and have found that most therapy and counseling for couples doesn’t have a good track record. In fact, research links […]

Filed Under: Relationship Tagged With: connecting, marriage, partner

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Living Depressed

Depression affects emotions, mental abilities, self-concept, behavior, relationships and the entire body. These core posts describe the full range of symptoms affecting daily life. Read More.

Choices in Healing

Hoping for recovery gives you a motive but not a method for getting there. This section has posts about therapies and healing methods you can work with either on your own or with professional guidance. Read more.

Living Well

If you've learned how to manage your depression, you'll want a fulfilling life rather than one dominated by fear that the illness might return. In this section, you'll find posts about how to work toward that goal. Read More

Relationships in Crisis

One of the hardest challenges of living with depression is holding onto your closest relationships. This section features posts on how to help a relationship survive. Read More.

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