Divorce and Depression; Marriage, Abuse, Divorce, etc

The link between divorce and depression can be two-directional, with either acting as the cause or the effect.

Depression is a problem affecting mental health; in a way, it is somewhat similar to diseases of the body. In some cases, depression may have a genetic element, and people with a family history of the condition may be at higher risk of suffering from it.

Various issues can trigger depression, and some common events or experience which trigger major or clinical depression in people are loss of a loved one, disability, financial problems, inability to fair well at the work place, and divorce, etc.

On the other hand, for people suffering from severe forms of depression, the condition itself could be one of the causes of divorce or separation. Therefore, while in some cases divorce could act as one of the causes of depression, there could also be an equal number of cases where depression could lead to divorce or separation. Thus, in the divorce and depression relationship, either could come first.

Depression and Marriages

In cases where depression has an inherited or genetic element, the condition might remain dormant for the longest time and, in some cases, never surface, mainly because these people were fortunate enough to be surrounded in extremely loving and affectionate relationships and did not feel the extreme pain or stress that could have triggered depression.

In some cases, however, an extremely unpleasant event or bad experience could spark off depression. Just like a physical body with poor immunity is more likely to contact infections and other conditions, a person with weak emotional or mental wellbeing is more susceptible to experiencing depression.

Therefore, constant arguments, misunderstandings, and feelings of being uncared for in a intimate relationship like a marriage can result in giving rise to negative emotions like anger, pain, hatred, rejection, and self doubt. When these emotions take over, the person becomes highly irritable, hypersensitive, and disturbed. If the spouse does not recognize these symptoms and continues to go about regular activities without noticing changes in his or her spouse’s outlook, it will create further problems.

Simple and stray remarks made without any hurtful intentions could get blown out of proportion and lead to further problems and misunderstandings. In situations like these, where a person could be at risk for experiencing depression, the spouse must try and understand the challenges of his or her spouse and ensure that adequate care, love, affection, and attention is given to the person. This is so that he or she would never have to experience any unpleasant misunderstandings between the two which could possibly trigger depression.

Divorce and Depression

In cases where divorce or separation triggers depression, people must learn to get over the pain and grief of separation as quickly as possible. Dwelling in the past, blaming oneself for the divorce, feeling dejected or rejected, feelings of anger, hate, etc, should be replaced with healing thoughts, and one must try and overcome this difficult phase without letting negative emotions take over.

Once the thought process starts becoming negative and self loathing in nature, the person is more likely to slip into depression. The hurt and pain of having trusted, loved, and nurtured another person and to have gone through certain unpleasant experiences with the same is difficult to reconcile. This greatly explains the strong association between divorce and depression.

Divorce and Abuse

Besides the link between divorce and depression, there is another angle to this issue too - women who experience physical, emotional and verbal abuse often suppress and repress these feelings, and these ultimately manifest in the form of nightmares and bad dreams. The sleep cycle is then disturbed and they are not able to get adequate rest. This takes a toll on their physical health and they begin to feel drained physically and emotionally.

Feelings of helplessness, worthlessness, and dejection set in and soon, they slip into depression. In situations like this, it is important for close family members like parents and siblings, as well as friends, to step in and help the person get over this traumatic experience.

Help, Support and Treatment

Once recognized and diagnosed as depression, whether it is down to divorce and depression or other causes of the condition, it is advisable to seek professional help or explore alternative treatment methods. In addition, it is very important for friends and family to be supportive and loving of the person who is going through the personal crisis. With love and care, most affected persons are able to get over most of their depressive thoughts and feelings.

Besides this, if the person can be introduced to various other mind-strengthening exercises like yoga, meditation, and therapy or counseling, he or she can then get back to leading a healthy and normal life very soon. It is important to see that persons who are going through difficult times with their divorce and depression or are just divorced get a lot of support in terms of a confidant. This is to make sure that these persons do not slip into severe or major clinical depression and contemplate suicide.

Surviving a bad marriage or an abusive partner, and overcoming depression resulting from these experiences can be extremely challenging. Affected persons must try to draw from other people’s experiences, share their feelings with them, talk about their unpleasant emotions and generally “get things out of their chest”. Otherwise, these negative emotions will build up within and end up creating further damage to one's body and mind.

As far as possible, one must learn to overcome depression using natural forms of healing and remedies. This is because antidepressants or other pharmacological drug regimens have been proven to have some serious side effects, which can be as serious as death. Going through counseling, therapy, and exploring other forms of alternative treatment for depression could prove just as effective, if not more effective.

Conclusion on Divorce and Depression

While the link between marriage, abuse, divorce and depression can be strong, with the right intervention, recovery is very achievable.

Useful Depression Resources