Re:Ask HN: Best resources to support a partner with depression?
by Arete314159 on Wednesday August 04, 2021 @07:59PM
(#28068016)
Seconded. There are so many things that you can do to help...from helping to research / make appointments with therapists (it can be very tiring to try to find one with availability, and folks w/ depression don't have energy)...to helping them see their primary care provider...to being understanding and supportive.
That said, know that if, after many months / years of you attempting to help, if the partner does not get involved in any way in trying to get better, there can be an issue of enablement on your end. If you ever get to that point, read the archives for Captain Awkward, she has a lot to say on that subject.
You can possibly help them recover.
But clinical depression is a clinical diagnosis that warrants clinical intervention by a trained clinician. Your role is supportive over the long period of treatment.
You can’t fix it because you are so close to the person suffering. Their state will make you angry, sad, etc. because of that.
And in the end, if the person is not treating their mental illness there is not a lot you can do about it. In that sense, it’s a bit contagious…not clinically of course…but in the sense that the mental health of the people around you can stress you.
Good luck.