Hi Emilovee,

I am sorry to hear about your situation but it’s great that you are providing so much support for your boyfriend. As someone who works regularly with people suffering from depression, I can honestly say that love and acceptance are generally what motivates patients to commence the path of treatment. Depression is a mood disorder that is more severe than generals feeling of anxiety we go through when we experienced a rough patch. For most people with depression, life IS a rough patch and the reason they feel this way can be psychological (e.g. through irrational believes and low self worth), biological (e.g. hormone imbalance) or both. To get a better idea of the cause and severity of your boyfriend’s depression, you may want to encourage him to see a professional psychologist for an assessment.

Another reason I recommend professional help in this area is that it will give him with an opportunity to discuss his feelings without having to worry how this will impact on his personal relationships. People suffering from depression generally have a lot of anxieties and there are things that he may not feel comfortable to discuss with you or his family in fear of being seen differently. Conversely, being the recipient of these emotions can negatively impact on your mood and contaminate the relationship you have with him. This is why even with training, we tend not to work with people we already know as it becomes very difficult to separate the professional and pesonal boundaries.

In regards to medication, it is something that should be considered on an indvidual basis. If it is recommended by a psychiatrist, I would suggest asking him/her why it is neccessary, the potential side effects and whether the dosage can be reduced gradually to prevent issues of dependency. Though professional opinions should always considered, the decision should be made by the recipient.

Hope that helps and good luck Emilovee.