Living with a Depressed Partner

April 5, 2022
Hosted by Dr. Gary Bell

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Episode Description

There is a great deal of information available about depression. But when you live with a depressed person, it can be painfully difficult. Anti-depressants are the number-one prescribed medication in this country, but they are not a panacea. Many with depression continue to suffer, or at least have symptomatic periods. This, in turn, affects those who love them. It can be especially difficult when the person with depression is your child or a partner. Many parents feel it is their duty to rescue their adult children. But the feeling of helplessness often prevails when you live with a depressed individual. It may not be healthy to feel it is your duty to rescue a partner, and it's also not healthy to take responsibility for his or her feelings. For men who have depressed partners, feeling helpless is especially common. Generally, men are fixers. When they hear of a problem, their reaction is to fix it. But depression is not so easily fixed, therefore the result is helplessness and frustration. This can complicate the helping process. For women who have a depressed partner, it is common to feel like the connection between partners is missing or inhibited. If the depressive symptoms lead to withdrawal, the female partner may feel shut-out. The feelings and thoughts of a depressed person may be difficult to share, which might compound the problem and leave the partner feeling there is a lack of communication. Worse, some men turn depression into anger and may be easily irritated with their partner, thereby further exacerbating the problem Tubne in and learn how to recognize and deal with a depressed partner.

Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology

Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Empowerment Channel

Not for the faint of heart or sensitive spirit, Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology is about helping our lives in the insane world we exist today. It is a sarcastic, smart and witty view of the lives we cope with, including straight answers, real information and new perspectives to bring LIFE back to our existence. Dr. Bell brings deep insight, common sense and weaves general knowledge of how the brain is operating under various circumstances. Dr. Bell challenges us all to OWN our lives. How do we become change in an ever changing world? If anything, you might sound smarter to your friends. Everyone is an armchair therapist, but now you will know enough to be dangerous. No whining or caterwauling allowed! This is a search for essence, passion and meaning as we exist surrounded by mediocrity, insecurity and insignificance. Take your medication and listen. You might learn something.

Dr. Gary Bell

Dr. Gary E. Bell, Ed.D, L.M.F.T. has a private counseling psychology practice in Corona, California where he works with people of all ages and life situations. He has been licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in California since 2004. Additionally, Dr. Bell teaches at various cities and academies to police, fire, and city employees regarding psychology, crisis work and motivation. He has conducted over 15,000 hours of therapy and crisis work. Dr. Bell is also a certified Mediator including his work for the Family Courts. He responds to Police, Fire and Community crisis intervention 24/7 on-call (i.e., suicide, fire, bank robberies, shootings, major traumatic events, etc.) as a Deputy of Psychology with the Counseling Team International. He is on-call for national and international crisis (i.e. flooding, terrorism, major catastrophes, cruise ship disasters, etc.). Dr. Bell is a CAMFT Certified Supervisor and contributes to Women’s First magazine for the Marriage S.O.S. section. He works quickly and efficiently to effectively help all his clients.

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