6. Protecting Your Mental Health: It’s Not Your Fault!
When you date someone, it’s hard not to think their illnesses are your responsibility. If their symptoms and happiness are not improving despite your best efforts to help and support, you might believe it’s partially your fault.
When audience analyst Fred McCoy dated a woman with depression, he was not prepared for it.
“As the relationship went on, she became more and more despondent, lethargic, and distant,” McCoy told Talkspace. He assumed this was because of his shortcomings.
“It is very easy to become enmeshed in their personal issues and begin to believe their depression is a reflection of you and your relationship,” McCoy said.
Separating the idea of you from their depression is the only way to love a woman with depression without resenting her or feeling you are at fault. McCoy urges people to remind themselves it was not her choice to become depressed, too.
Think of it this way: you would not blame yourself if she developed a medical condition. You’d be there to support her.
Discussion about this post