Depression is an exhausting, frightening illness. Those who are depressed need care from supportive friends and family, and medical and mental health professionals in order to overcome the disease. Websites, pamphlets, articles, books, and talk shows are devoted to the topic of helping the depressed.
In contrast, little attention is given to the plight of those of us who are married to depressed spouses. But the trials we face are very painful, and very real. We may feel overwhelmed by loss: the loss of a parenting partner, a financial partner, even the loss of our spouse in the case of suicide. We ourselves may experience symptoms of depression due to the continual strain of living in close quarters with the illness. We may feel abandoned by God if prayers for healing appear to go unanswered.
How are we, and our marriages, to survive such pain?
Let Me Sow Light: Living With a Depressed Spouse (ACTA Publications, 2008) offers hope and help to those who are married to a person suffering from depression. Authors Bernadette Stankard and Amy Viets have experienced this pain personally, and offer insights not only from their own perspectives, but also from those of others who shared their struggles with this debilitating illness. The book provides practical exercises and suggestions, as well as encouragement and support for spouses who are the invisible victims of depression.