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My girlfriend has depression, should I stay with her?

My girlfriend’s really changed in the last year. She never wants to go out. She just stays inside all day and sleeps all the time. We barely have sex anymore. The GP recently diagnosed her with depression and now she’s on antidepressants. I know it’s not her fault, but I’m finding it hard to cope with being with someone so…numb. The worst thing is she won’t talk to me about it. I feel so shut out. Should I stay with her, and hope it gets better? Or does she just not love me anymore, and is using her depression as an excuse?

Views 7,998

Holly Bourne Holly

Our expert says:

You wouldn’t believe how many questions we get about this on TheSite. It can be really hard to cope when your partner suffers from a mental health problem and it’s totally normal to feel overwhelmed, shut out, or like you keep getting it wrong.

We have a lot of advice articles on TheSite that offer practical tips for being with someone with depression, as well as our Madly In Love website. Often just understanding mental health problems better makes it easier to support someone.

But what do you think? Should you always support someone you love, no matter what? Or do you have a personal limit on what you can and can’t handle? Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to deal with this – we all manage the best we can.

Let us know what you’d do below. And, if this is something you’re going through yourself, remember you can always get our expert advice by clicking on Ask A Question.

Posted on 08-Dec-2014
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