How do you treat your partner when they are depressed or in some other grip of the ego?

Question

I just be myself and do some spiritual exercise like feeling my inner body to boost my immunity from the depression.

Answer 1

I try to help them out the best I can. I'm always there to reassure them that they are still a good person no matter what happened. That's about all you can do.

Answer 2

I would agree with the previous person's post, that reassurance that they are a good person and worthy is important. Depression generally causes significant disturbances in self-esteem, feelings of shame, and often excessive guilt. However, it is also important that your partner may not actually hear you in your support, nor be able to utilize the intervention that you use to help boost your own mood. This is because depression also leads to significantly distorted perceptions and thoughts about the world, themselves, and the causes of their depression.

What is important is to try to encourage your partner to seek help--offer to go with them if necessary. This is particularly important as depression can become a serious and life-threatening disorder. Individuals often require an outside therapist or doctor to help them, simply because they often begin to feel so embarrassed and shameful about the effect of their mood disturbances on their partners and family that they cannot get healthy at home. Additionally, individuals may habor feelings of failure that they are not as good as their partner and other inappropriate comparisons that require and outside perspective to help them see different ways of thinking.

If your partner is frequently depressed you may wish to contact your local NAMI group (see www.nami.org) to find resources and also support for yourself. Additionally, you can contact the Crisis Hotline/Mental Health number that your community/local hospital has. Every hospital generally has a Crisis line that is staffed by social workers, psychologists, and other healthcare professionals who can provide you and/or your partner support and referrals to mental health practitioners in your area.

Best,
Katie MacDowell, M.Ed.
Masters, Counseling Psychology
Doctoral Candidate, Clinical & Health Psychology

Answer 3

I wanted to answer your question, really I did.

But so angry about your "or in some OTHER grip of the EGO" portion of your question.

how can you possibly think that depression
has something to do with someone's EGO???

Do you feel that all depressed people
are so full of themselves
and need EGO BOOSTS?

Hope I am mis-reading the question...maybe you are saying that if you boost someone's self-esteem
they will feel better
and not depressed?

If it were only so simple.