My partner seems depressed, how can I help her without overwhelming myself?

It’s important to remember that you can’t “save” your partner. Encourage her to seek help from professionals, support groups, friends, or family. You can support her by creating a healthy and positive environment. Remember to take care of your own mental health, too.

How can I tell if my partner’s bad moods are due to depression?

Depression can cause once vibrant individuals to become withdrawn. Their mood can significantly impact those closest to them, even if unintentional. If your partner’s mood swings are persistent and affecting your relationship, it’s essential to address the issue.

My partner has depression; will our relationship survive?

While a partner with depression can bring challenges to a relationship, it doesn't mean the end. Understanding depression and providing support can help your partner's quality of life and relationship. Open communication and a supportive environment are essential for a healthy relationship.

How do I support my partner with depression while maintaining a healthy relationship?

Educating yourself about depression is the first step to offering support. Encourage your partner to seek professional help and create a supportive environment. Remember that you are not responsible for “fixing” them. Prioritize open communication and healthy boundaries to safeguard your well-being.

Is it wrong to consider ending the relationship if my partner's depression is too much to handle?

It’s important to prioritize your mental health. If communication breaks down and arguments become unmanageable, taking a step back is valid. While supporting your partner is important, your well-being matters too.

Having a Healthy Relationship With a Partner With Depression

A person under the shade of a dark, melancholic tree

Fall in love with someone that doesn’t make you think love is hard.

Quotes like that hit hard because it strikes a chord with many of us. Love, as pure and as wonderful as it feels, should never be hard. Or, at least, that’s what many of us believe. The truth is, there will be times when love gets difficult—no matter how genuine it is or how badly we want it to be otherwise.

See, life comes with problems that can make anything difficult. While it wouldn’t do to list them all here, one bonafide example of when love gets hard is when you’re with a partner with depression. Then, none of the quotes you can think of can ease the struggles that come with the reality of that situation.

What Makes Depression So Difficult to Deal With?

Even when it’s not you who is afflicted with this dire mental condition, depression’s effects can seep to those who happen to be nearby. A person who was once vibrant and full of life turns into a shell of his or her former self. Relationships that were once easy become riddled with troubles.

There’s no denying that our partner’s mood affects us, even when they don’t mean for that to be the case. Whether they are happy or empty inside, how they feel can influence those closest to them, which makes depression especially insidious to deal with. After all, no one truly loving wants to bring their partner down.

Walking With the Big Black Dog

As big of a problem as depression is, there are effective ways to deal with it so that it won’t be an impediment to your partner’s quality of life. Before anything else, one must be armed with the knowledge necessary to tackle the ‘big black dog,’ as some people call it. So, learn as much as you can about depression.

With the necessary knowledge at your disposal, you can now offer more support to your partner. Take note though that this isn’t something you have to shoulder alone. While it may feel tempting to try “saving” your partner, the best way to tackle this problem would be from the sidelines. You can’t—and shouldn’t—be expected to bear it for them.

A fine way to offer your support would be to encourage them to seek help. This can be through a professional, support groups, or even friends and family. On your end, creating a healthy environment for them is often more than enough. Without one, your relationship could devolve into bitterness and bickering.

If your relationship ever reaches a point where it becomes difficult to properly handle arguments and communication has broken down, know that you’re well within your rights to take a step back. Don’t lose sight of your own mental health in your attempt to help your own troubled partner.

Relationships come with many issues. Difficult days can come due to a partner with depression, but that hardly spells the end for you two. As detailed above, there’s tons to do about the ‘big black dog’ and you’re likely to still have a healthy relationship together. Naturally, here’s another quote that’s bound to hit hard:

True love is never easy, but it is worth fighting for.