My husband is 37 yrs old. he is currently living and running a business alone abroad I have moved to India with our children due to financial difficulties there. Since sometimes now he has been having major mood swings and one minute he will call to tell me he loves me and wants me to move back and the next that we should get divorced as we fight a lot. He blames the whole world for everything that goes wrong and considers me his enemy , that i am trying to destroy his reputation. i consulted a friend who after hearing all this said that from her experience, he was suffering from chronic depression symptoms and that he should consult a medical Doctor as there are medications that can help him. please help me in how to handle this. I tried to suggest to him that he should see a doc . and he lost his head that I was trying to prove him mad. PLEASE HELP.
Hi A very typical reaction from our country regarding psychiatric illnesses. He is stressed out that's for sure. Weather he is suffering from depression or not depends on various symptoms like how is his sleep, appetite, mood, energy levels, attention concentration etc etc etc......he will need a full psychiatric assessment. From what you have explained, it seems he will not consult a psychiatrist. The following are the options in no particular order of preference 1. Keep trying to make him see the sense in going for an assessment so that "both of you could be assessed"...make sure that he understands you are suffering as well and may be if he comes there may be something that you may change in how you are etc etc etc....trying anything not to make him think its only him. Keep at it for long and atleast to get rid of your "nagging" he may come once......but I dont see much long term benefit in this. 2. consult a general physician...both of you...who knows and deals with psychiatric problems...that may be more acceptable to your husband 3. ask him if he would be ok to talk to a psychiatrist online....there are expert specialist services available on this site where you can have a psychaitrist consult via chat and that may reduce the stigma even further to your husband. Keep insisting that it is for both of your assessment...which truly it should be....and then only for an initial assessment keep talking to him about not just medicines that help but also talking therapies...or better use counselling rather than therapies word...to make it more palatable to him Finally, in some countries, there is still a practise of covert administration of medication...i.e giving medicine without someone's knowledge. This will depend on the legalities involved and the best practise of that country. Hope this helps. Good Luck to both of you.