The break up of a marriage happens for many different reasons with chronic depression being one of the leading causes of divorce around the world. A depressed person will be very moody and down in the dumps and hard to be around and relate to. Depression often goes undiagnosed and the depressed person’s behavior is often more than a spouse can bear. Can depression cause divorce? You bet it can!

Depression is ugly and puts tremendous strains on a marriage, especially if you are not sure the condition exists or even how severe it is. Depressed moods and symptoms can have a way of hiding at times and then being full blown the next instant, especially at the initial stages.

Often the depressed spouse pulls back from the relationship, not wanting to do the same things that were always done as a couple. Their belief that nothing will be fun is so strong that they even start missing family events. Sometimes the simplest life tasks go for days without being completed. Even personal hygiene can become an issue as the depressed person pulls away from the world and spends most of their time in a dark room alone.

Many times it’s the depressed person pushing all the right buttons to set a divorce in motion because they have no self worth and feel they are very undeserving. They may be the first one to bring up the subject of divorce. Living with depression is a very scary place to be. The depressed person may think that everything is a waste of time and this may start to create problems for the non-depressed spouse.

Life is still the same for the non-depressed spouse and frequently they do not understand what could be causing the changes. Communication at this point is at an all time low, with niceties being a thing of the past. This may be when the first thoughts of divorce are being contemplated and considered a solution.

If this is you and you are living with a depressed person you need to do a few things to save your marriage. Even more important is saving both of you a lot of unnecessary grief. Understand depression by doing some research. There is a massive amount of information all around you, both on the internet and speaking with your doctor. Living with a depressed person is very difficult, but with the right information and medication depression can be treated.

Does depression cause divorce? The answer: Only if you let it. If depression has struck the one you love, there are many things that you can do – but first and foremost understand that depression is a disease, a disease that can be treated. But many times, these marriages do end in divorce because they become too unbearable.

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