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Depression and Relationships - Impact of Divorce:
Another 'social issue' in the Western world (in which the vast majority of depression drugs are prescribed and taken) is related to the increasing divorce rate and the proliferation of problems in relationships. With divorce rates tending towards almost 50%, and certainly higher than 1-in-3, in recent years it is clear that there is an issue that society at large needs to address about the estate of marriage. However it is not necessary to be married for people to have to deal with the psychological aftermath of a failed relationship and all the 'emotional baggage' this brings with it , particularly when children are involved.
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It is probably fair to observe that if you are currently unhappily married, or recently separated or divorced, then you have a much higher chance of suffering from a major depressive episode than average. Indeed, if as previously suggested we view Depression as an 'indication that something is wrong' – relationships can be a long way towards the end-of-the-road before participants can actually begin openly to accept that this is the case. This failure to deal with what may, from outside, seem to be 'obvious' can often play a key role in the decline into depression.
The complexities of understanding why do not face up to 'dealing with relationship issues' in a efficient way are manifold. But the combined factors of the 'death of love'; being the guilty - or the slighted - party; feeling like or fear of failure; feeling or fear of rejection; fearing loneliness and the future; inability to 'see any hope'; worrying about who might want a 'divorced' person (possibly with children); worry about how any children of the relationship will be affected.
The morass of emotional confusion that a 'failed relationship' releases can lead some to want to 'hide in bed and sleep all day' – or others to 'work like a demon' submerging themselves and any possibility of dealing with feelings in an intense period of activity. Of course, neither method of 'failing to deal' with the real issues helps very much, and both are clear symptoms of profound depression
The rates of major depression, on the other hand, for those who are happily married, or in a stable and gratifying relationship, are statistically much lower. So it is evident, that as human beings, having, and being part of, a rewarding and mutually loving and respectful relationship is key to our psychological stability and emotional well-being. Although, that said, it is also perfectly possible for even those in happy relationships to suffer from a bout, or bouts of major depression, For, as has been stated, every individual is different and the causes of depression are equally varied.
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