When someone is depressed, he or she becomes uninterested in a wide variety of activities.
It is extremely crucial to be understanding and supportive to ensure that both partners overcome the situation together during these difficult times.
Depression is a silent battle that affects millions of people worldwide. This complex mental health condition affects not only the individual but also people close to them, often damaging their relationships. But it’s also difficult to deal with a depressed spouse or partner, given the complexities that such a close bond brings. It is extremely crucial to be understanding and supportive to ensure that both partners overcome the situation together during these difficult times.
If you are depressed, here are five warning signs that can help you identify the symptoms and how they are affecting your relationship.
Decreased sex drive: When a person is depressed, he or she becomes uninterested in the wide variety of activities he or she once enjoyed. One aspect of your relationship that is often affected by mental health issues is intimacy and sex drive. The feeling of not wanting to participate in regular activities together, including sex, is common in relationships where one or both people are suffering.
Highly sensitive: It is a common trigger point in a relationship when someone is depressed that he or she becomes very sensitive to criticism and can easily become irritated for minor reasons. The feeling of self-pity over comments made by coworkers or family members can result in resentment toward the people they care about and who mean no harm by what they said.
Start to feel hopeless: According to Scientific American, a feeling of hopelessness is one of the central predictors of depression and suicidal ideation. People start to feel worthless and assume that their partner and loved ones think the same about them. As time goes by, these feelings only grow stronger and it’s easy to feel like things will never get better.
The temptation to take action: People suffering from depression often use prescription medications or alcohol in excessive amounts to help combat some of the symptoms. Increased use of drugs or alcohol, other than normal behavior, can be warning signs that depression is affecting the relationship.
Anxiety: A constant sense of how others perceive them and a sense of uncertainty about the future of your relationships are signs of high anxiety levels. Anxiety and constant fear of failure, both at home and at work, take depression to another level.