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Oct 23

Glass Half Empty? Relationship Trouble Ahead!

By Jay Slupesky
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About Marriage Therapy


Mauna Kea, Hawaii. July 2007.

It’s hard to have a happy and satisfying relationship if one of the partners is depressed. Think about it. The depressed person has symptoms such as trouble sleeping, a loss of interest and pleasure in things that used be enjoyable and important, and feelings of sadness. The depressed partner turns inward emotionally and focuses on his/her own problems. The joy of being with each other, the interest in the other person’s life, and the emotional connection between partners: all of these are diminished when one person is depressed.

In my office I also see the problems that result when one partner’s depression is manifested as anger toward the other partner. This can be especially hard on the relationship if the anger is severe. The recipient of the anger is frequently at a loss to explain why his/her partner, who used to be easy-going, is now in need of anger management. If the anger is severe enough to cause verbal or even physical abuse, the relationship may be close to ending by the time the couple finally comes to my office.

You can be sure that I’m always on the lookout for signs of depression when I work with couples. If I see it, I won’t hesitate to suggest getting treatment, because I know it will not only be good for the depressed person, it will also be good for the relationship.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 at 1:17 pm and is filed under About Marriage Therapy.

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