Divorce and Depression Counseling and Prevention
Divorce and depression sometimes go hand in hand. It is not the divorce itself that causes depression, but it can be a significant factor when there are other life changes going on. The end of a long-term marriage can cause a broken heart. One of the saddest things is that in many cases the divorce really isn?t anyone’s fault.
People simply grow apart over time. After years of raising kids, growing careers and hosting the best holiday dinners, people just change. Relationships take work and date nights really are important. When you don?t work at maintaining a marriage you could wake up one day and realize you are sharing your life with a stranger. Either they are no longer the same person you married, or you changed and really have developed into someone different than you were the day you walked down the aisle.
When there are life gets busy and there are major life changes going on, such as the illness and loss, or graduations and weddings, some couples can get so busy they fail to recognize they are going separate ways and start feeling disconnected. Additional stresses lead to substance abuse and treatment with some people and diagnosable depression in others. What matters is seeing the signs and doing something about divorce and depression.
How Divorce Affects People
Because it is time to go separate ways, one spouse decides to leave the home and find a place to live which can be stressful. The other spouse remaining in the home has similar stress, of realizing the house in which they lived with their partner for so many years now feels different and lonely.
Consequently, living alone can be difficult in either situation. With a range of emotions, it may feel good at first but after time people can start getting bored and lonely. With too much time alone to reflect and think about life, the divorce can be something people obsess over, leading to divorce-related depression.
For some, masking problems is an art. After the divorce they are out dating again and are so busy they do not have time to think about how much life has changed. They look in the mirror and don’t recognize themselves. They see a stranger. If they are depressed, they might not know it.
For more information about Divorce in Texas please see Scroggins Law Group FAQ page on our website.
Recognizing Symptoms of Depression
You can?t recover from what you do not recognize. The symptoms of depression, according to WebMD (see Signs of Clinical Depression: Symptoms to Watch For), include the following:
- Concentration, detail and decision-making problems;
- Fatigue, restlessness and insomnia;
- Feeling guilty, helpless, worthless, pessimistic and hopeless;
- Loss if interest in what you used to crave, including intimacy;
- Issues with appetite loss, overeating and digestive issues;
- Aches and pains like headaches and cramps that don?t go away;
- Anxiety over feeling sad and empty;
- Thoughts and attempts of suicide.
While some of the symptoms of depression just seem like general anxiety and life challenges, others are more telling and easier to recognize.
Sometimes people ignore depression symptoms because they don?t want to be medicated or be diagnosed with having a clinical problem. What they might not know is that there are all kinds of treatments and therapy for depression other than medication for a chemical imbalance. The only way to find out is to talk to someone, if for nothing else, for a general mental health onceover.
Mental Health Professionals for Divorce and Depression
Therapists in Dallas with a focus on divorce and related issues including depression are valuable to people going through a major life change when ending their marriage.
Likewise, there are online mental health professionals, videos and many more resources for divorce and depression on the Internet. People who meet with mental health counselors can benefit simply by talking about their issues with another. While they could also work things out on their own, they realize how easy it is to get stuck in your own head. Sometimes the context and process of seeing a counselor or therapist changes one?s outlook.
Preventing and Recovering from Divorce and Depression
Being busy with an active social life is a healthy way to prevent divorce-triggered depression. Getting involved with a divorce support group can also be helpful, even if it is only a short-term thing.
Certainly, support groups of people with similar stories and issues can help recovery from divorce-related depression. There is always going to be someone in that group who shares experiences that make yours look trivial.
As a result, people can feel less alone and isolated. Being reconnected with people can help with divorce and depression recovery and coping strategies.
Mark L. Scroggins Values Mental Health Professionals
Mark L. Scroggins, divorce lawyer Board-Certified in family law, frequently talks about the value of mental health professionals. On monthly podcasts, Scroggins stresses that it does not mean that something is wrong with you if you see a counselor or therapist. Divorce and depression do not need to go hand in hand and the team at Scroggins Law Group in Dallas care about the well-being of a client and wish everyone to best manage the stress and anxiety that comes with major life changes like divorce.
Call Scroggins Law Group today at (214) 469-3100 if you need to talk about divorce and ask for a referral to a reputable mental health professional to guard against divorce and depression getting in the way of your future.
