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Struggling with my depressed husband

Dilemma
Blue Voices Member
Blue Voices Member

I really need some advice. My husband of 16years was diagnosed by our GP with depression 2 years ago & has been medication since. We recent increased his dosage as it seemed to be losing its effect. I discovered yesterday that he stopped taking the meds about a month ago & didn't tell me. It became bleedingly obvious to me through his behaviour. & he has now started to be emotionally and verbally abusive to both myself & our 15 year old son. It's hard for other to see his depression as I think he has the atypical type. Add to this that he is from Italian background, & the issue is just swept under the carpet. Due to this, I am his only support person, & have stood by him to ride out the hard times in the hope we come out the other side intact. However, this recent turn of events has me really concerned - he actually believes he doesn't need there's anymore, & he truly can't see his behaviour & the impact it has. I'm so torn between leaving & staying, my number one concern our 2 teenage children, & my own health is suffering. Any words of advice on my dilemma would be much appreciated. I have a great psych I'm going to see tomorrow, but frankly, it's my husband who needs to be going.

4 Replies 4

JessF
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

Hello Dilemma, I remember writing last week to a woman on here in a very simialr situation to you. She went into more detail about the kind of verbal and emotional abuse from her husband and it was quite concerning. I will say the same again here, that you need to put yourself and your children's wellbeing first. You are right that your husband needs to be seeking help, but it is excellent that you have psych support because you are in a mentally unhealthy situation and will need that support yourself in order to cope.

If your husband suddenly stopped taking his medication, then it is not surprising that there have been rebound effects. Not only will his depression worsen, but there will be physical side effects that will be distressing for him too, and he doesn't sound like the type who will talk about his problems.

Does he have any close male friends, brothers, cousins, anyone like that who you might be able to shoulder tap to have a talk with him? You cannot be his only support person, it is not fair on you and perhaps if he hears from someone outside of the immediate family just how his behaviour has changed and is affecting you and the family, then he will listen.

Chris_B
Blue Voices Member
Blue Voices Member

Hi Dilemma,

Welcome to the forums. As Jess has said, you are not alone in this situation. If you haven't already, you can browse our 'Supporting family and friends' forum for further advice from our members.

There is also this section of our website, which has resources and tips for supporting a family member with depression.

Please also feel free to call our support service on 1300 22 4636, it is staffed by professional counsellors and they will be able to provide you with some support around what to do next.

Dilemma
Blue Voices Member
Blue Voices Member

Thanks for your reply Jess. We had a close male friend try to get involved to help about 2 years ago & we ended up losing his friendship as a result. Others can see the issue, but are reluctant to get involved (understandably), with the exception of one close friend. I saw our psych today & his advice was to be in 'diffusing' rather than 'fixing' mode. Apparently the more i try to hold a mirror up, the worse I'm making it. I agree with all that, but am finding it increasingly difficult to be on the receiving end of his behaviour. The emotional & psychological abuse I referred to involves yelling, name calling, blaming me for everything, & accusing me of things that aren't true. I know it doesn't  sound that bad, but in context, this is the third time this has happened to me- both of his older daughters from his first marriage, whom I helped him raise after they were removed from their abusive mentally ill mother, turned on me in their early 20's. I am tired of being people's bashing board, & don't want to live my life in that role, but not do I want to abandon him in a time of need & uproot my children. This is my dilemma.

El_Guapo
Community Member

It is terrible and heart breaking to see a loved one go through such misery and confusion. It also places and enormous amount of pressure and unhappiness in the family unit.Its just a suggestion, but it may help you both, if you both attend help together, this way he will be able to see what you are going through as well. Hopefully together and with some guidance and understanding of the situation, it may help cope through this terrible turmoil. God Bless and I hope I have helped in some way.