What to Do if Your Husband or Wife Has Mental Health Issues

Anxiety, depression, addiction and other mental health issues can lead to challenges or even hopelessness for one or both spouses in a marriage. Dr. Benzio, board-certified psychiatrist, explains how to show care and compassion to your spouse as you walk through the journey to healing.

“Mental Health in Marriage” is a 5-part series providing practical tools and strategies to tackle behavioral health issues in your marriage. Dr. Benzio is a board-certified psychiatrist, the co-founder of Honey Lake Clinic – a residential Christian facility for mental health, mood disorder and addiction treatment. He is also a member of Focus on the Family’s Physicians Resource Council and is on the Senior Leadership Team at Liberty University’s Global Center for Mental Health, Addiction, and Recovery. He also works as a consultant and advisor to the Mental Health Initiative.

Read
Hope for a Marriage Challenged by Mental Illness
https://bit.ly/2SVlJ17

When Your Spouse Is Depressed
https://bit.ly/33TIg0z

Warning Signs that Your Spouse Has Mental Health Issues
https://bit.ly/3q7aFM2

Get free resources or speak to a counselor
https://bit.ly/2QupLg9

Check out Focus on the Family on social media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/focusonthefamily
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FocusFamily
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focusonthefamily
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/focusonthefamily

#FocusontheFamily #FocusOnMarriage #MentalHealth

45 Comments

  1. Don't say 10 years later, that you raised the kids by yourself. The person knows that they weren't totally available during their depression. It doesn't take away from all they did before and after.

  2. It depends on the issue
    If the person is being violent/abusive
    simply saying I want to be your companion/lover is not advisable for either
    Appropriate intervention is needed
    To protect/ care for both parties

    Thanks for the attention
    It is much needed

  3. Yes we wNt to handle our loved ones carefully with kids gloves. But they may misinterpret this as showing them that they're incapable. What if they're not ready to accept their situation?

  4. My husband has autism and had a bad episode which became physically abusive and now he’s left. Not sure what’s going to happen. He’d never admit he had an issue or needed help 😭😭😭

  5. What if your husband is compassion fatigued and has been dealing with this for 10+ years . He's over it but my childhood trauma won't go away. It's worse now that we have 3 children. I'm told I'm damaging my children. What do I do

  6. My husband and I have been together since 2012. Recently we found out he has DID. Well after he got diagnosed he quit his job and left me, moved out to his dads house. We have 2 kids together and he refuses to get help for the DID. I don't know what to do, I really care about him but he doesn't want to help himself. How do I get him the help he needs?

  7. My husbands mental health is making it where he can't work. He doesn't want to talk about things. He has been going to therapy. Nothing seems to improve. I have tried to use positivity with hugging and positive conversation. I'm going to therapy with him next month. I can handle alot. But the not working now is bothering me after he finished an electrical engineering degree.

  8. My wife has schizophrenia which she was diagnosed and she has a lot of paranoia. She refuses to get help because she thinks nothing is wrong with her. She thinks something is wrong with me. We have 2 daughters ages 12 and 19 . We are close to divorce. I stay with her for our daughters. I feel stuck with her and I don't know what to do.

  9. This is valuable information, but I am also seeing many caring husbands who are enabling their wives illness and enabling them to stay in sick mode.
    Control issue at times, due to personality issue of well partner,
    I feel the well partner is not encouraging the healing of sick partner and sick partner is comfortable staying in victim mode, which is also a way to control. Usually controlling or narcissistic husbands are doing this, who are not focusing on their own self.

  10. My wife has depression and anxiety and so do I,I met the best woman of my life 5 years ago 7 months ago we married,I never knew she was suffering inside as badly as she was,out of the blue while I was at work she told me not to come home that everything is over,it was devastating I thought things were great between us,I stayed with a family member for a few weeks then found out she had taken 3 bottles full of sleeping pills trying to commit suicide,I wasn't allowed to go in to the hospital to heck on her and that was devastating as well,I sat in my vehicle for 5 days out in the parking lot worried sick about her until they released her then I went home,she only talked to me once since then and told me that no one came to see her and no one cared, she don't know that I was there the entire time just outside worried about her but wasn't allowed inside,we're still married but I haven't seen or talked to her in months and its been really difficult to not see or hear from her,she is the love of my life my family my best friend and my world,mental illness is a terrible thing,I tried everything to make her happy every day but nothing seemed to help,I suffer with depression myself and she was the only cure for me,it was a blessing getting to wake up next to her every day for the time that I did and I'm grateful for that

  11. First off your partner needs to be willing to meet you halfway and work through issues. Without that, you don't have a foundation for building up😢

  12. My husband is currently in a mental hospital and was just diagnosed with schizophrenia. He was in jail first, and they beat him. I don't know what to do for him and I am at the end of my line, please help me!!

  13. Every situation is different. Especially when they think you are against them. When are you do is show love and care. They tell lies on you to their friends, so now I look like bad guy. So that support system is gone. Then they refuse to get treatment or any kind of therapy, so now that's out the window. Sometimes they enjoy the hugs and sometimes they just want you to go away.

    If you disagree with them, they can get verbally abusive or yet dissappear for weeks to a month, come back like nothing happened. I will say, if the person is treated before getting in a relationship, then they shouldn't be in one. It's not the other party job to fix someone. Do not date anyone with mental illness, it's draining financially, physically, spiritually and mentally.

  14. CBD oil can help the person to relax, sleep and eat better. One drop under the tongue per day, and you could gradually improve your relationship. All the best of luck.

  15. Im late here but my husband makes anxiety worse for me. When i feel an attack comjng, he usually says "not again!" Or "again?!!" And then makes me feel bad for having an anxiety attack that i dont tell him anything anymore. I trust my friend more.

  16. My husband sleeps all day only eats cornflakes he refuses to do anything as in bath change cloths. I can't live this way.and I can't make him go doctor

  17. I need help, my husband has severe mental illness and he is in total denial, he also has a drug and alcohol addiction, he reads the bible amd prays with us but yet he is so blinded and makes excuses on why is okay for him to drink, what do I supposed to do?? I feel so lost, today I told him that we need to divorce we have been through so much heartache over this, pls Lord help me and show me what do I need to do?😢

  18. Attention…❤❤❤😊😊😊 Every consultation and solution.. in every matter from the family to the sea and the mountains and the end of time and the creation of man and…. in life you want from the verses of the Quran and from Imam Ali (peace be upon him) Ask on Google to get the answer from the world's greatest psychologist

  19. Attention…❤❤❤😊😊😊 Every consultation and solution.. in every matter from the family to the sea and the mountains and the end of time and the creation of man and…. in life you want from the verses of the Quran and from Imam Ali (peace be upon him) Ask on Google to get the answer from the world's greatest psychologist

  20. my husband has been sufferring from a mood disoder, anxiety and depression for many years. I wasn't aware until I married him . The worst problem is he becomes accusatory, I get blamed for everything he looses or misplaces. I get blamed of hiding things such as; secret plans etc. (smh) If my doctor appt gets cancelled, I am to blaned not the clinic! He gets very angry easily for simple things. If I ask him how he is … He says I ask too many questions he is not one of my students. He wants affection , but does'nt' 😢 I cannot understand any of this any longer. I am walking on eggshells here! There seems to be alot of help for the ones sufferring from this awful disease ; however there appears to be very little for those whose spouses , signifacant others are dealing with. How do you try to help somoene who shuts you out?

Leave A Reply