Supporting a Partner with Depression: Coping, Parenting, and Finding Hope

In this episode, we share Margaret’s story of living with a partner who struggles with treatment-resistant depression and anxiety while raising a child. Margaret opens up about the challenges of feeling unsupported, navigating parenting, and maintaining connection in the face of a mental health disorder. Clinical psychologist Dr. Anita Sanz provides insights on recognizing when depression — not the person — is speaking, and strategies for setting boundaries and maintaining communication. This episode sheds light on the loneliness caregivers often experience, while offering hope and practical guidance for families navigating depression together.

Primary Topics Covered

• The emotional toll of living with a partner with depression
• Parenting challenges when one parent struggles with mental illness
• The loneliness and lack of support caregivers often face
• How depression changes relationship dynamics and communication
• Setting boundaries and pre-planning responses to depressive episodes
• Why hope matters for both partners and caregivers

Timestamps

00:00 Intro to Giving Voice to Depression
 01:07 About the podcast and its mission
 02:15 Listener Margaret’s story and request for guidance
 03:26 The challenges of living with a partner with depression
 05:13 The loneliness of caregiving in silence
 06:32 How Margaret’s understanding of depression has evolved
 08:19 The struggle when tools aren’t being used by a depressed partner
 09:29 Longing for support and partnership while raising a child
 10:59 The difficulty of caregiving when depression pushes you away
 12:37 Lack of support from family and friends
 13:34 What caregivers most wish others understood
 15:05 The challenge of managing parenting and partnership with depression
 15:48 Margaret’s closing thoughts on loneliness and survival strategies
 17:11 Reflections on the need for connection in relationships
 18:38 Dr. Sanz on separating depression from the person
 19:47 How to create a plan for depressive episodes
 22:12 Respecting the person but not respecting depression
 23:30 Using wellness recovery action plans in relationships
 24:17 Including a depressed partner even in small ways
 25:15 Closing reflections and resources

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