There are many situations and occurrences in life that can test the strength of a family unit, including environmental factors, physical factors, mental factors, biological factors and social factors. It could be one of these factors, or a combination of two or more, that affects either one or two individuals within the family unit or the entire family unit as a whole; whatever it is that impacts the family, it can have a huge impact on the families overall mental health. Each individual will react to a high level of stress in their own way, but how they handle the stress can have a direct impact on the other members of their family.
When depression hits the family, everyone in the unit can be affected in a negative way. Millions of people throughout North America suffer from different types of depression; some of them suffer a lighter form of depression and with help they and their family are able to cope and work with it, while others suffer from more severe forms of depression that can cause a family unit to fall apart. When an individual develops depression, their family can often sense that something is off; that the individual is not quite the same person as they use to be, especially if the family is a tight-knit family. The signs might not be as obvious as soon for families that are not as close as others, but the signs soon become apparent in just about any family when a person comes down with deep depression. The other members in the family will react to the person’s depression in different ways to try and get that person out of their emotional rut, but family is not always able to help. Depending on the depression that the person has and how they choose to deal with it, the family could be adversely affected and the unit can fall apart. Rifts begin to grow into chasms, drawing each family member away from the unit they once knew. In too many cases, the person’s depression only becomes worse, especially if they choose to avoid help, self-medicate and then take out their frustrations on their family. It is unfortunate, but many family units that were once strong and close have fallen apart as a result of one or more family members becoming severely depressed.
There are many reasons why one or more members of a relatively happy family unit can become depressed, including stress, financial instability, a death in the immediate family and so on. Severe depression in relatively unhappy and dysfunctional families has a fairly obvious cause. Whatever the cause of the depression, a family does not have to be torn up over it. Even some families that think they are fine could possibly benefit greatly from a visit with a family therapist or counselor. It takes work to keep strong family ties within a unit, as well as to maintain trust, openness, and honesty; a family therapist or counselor can help a family to remain strong enough to weather through life’s many trials. It doesn’t always require a family to bring everyone into a family therapist’s office either. With online therapy, it is now possible for families to have sessions with an online family therapist in the comfort of their own home.
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Thanks for the information on depression in the family.
We recently wrote an article on genetics and depression Brain Blogger. It is widely known that depression results from a combination of many different factors. Environmental factors such as stressful life events can trigger the development of major depressive disorder (MDD), but doctors suspect that there may another, unheard-of underlying factor -- genetics
We would like to read your comments on our article. Thank you.
Sincerely,
June 8, 2008 - 12:25pmKelly
This Comment
Where could someone who is depressed go to receive online counseling -- and is it free?
June 3, 2008 - 8:53pmThis Comment
Thank-you for sharing your story about your mom and I am sure that she would have benefited, but as far as therapy goes, you have to be motivated to receive help whether it is online or in a therapist's office. The catholic upbringing makes it difficult to accept help, and there are other faiths that beleive "you should not go outside the family" I am happy that you are not following in your mom's footsteps and being honest about your feelings, take care
June 3, 2008 - 6:29pmThis Comment
I wish we would've had something like an online family therapist when I was younger especially at one particular point in my life. When I was in first grade, my mother suffered a miscarriage and had a very difficult time dealing with it. She is a devout Catholic -- and in her mind, felt like it was some sort of punishment so there was shame associated with her loss.
She wasn't the type of person to seek out a therapist because that was something she wasn't raised to do. And again, in her mind, that would've been piling shame on shame should someone see her walk into a counselor's office. She was someone who was taught to deal with hardship alone and bury her grief.
In retrospect, I think someone like an online therapist would've been great for her. She would've been able to better understand her emotions following the miscarriage and I think it maybe would've made our family a little stronger.
It's wonderful this type of service is available for women like my mother who may have a different view of how to manage emotions. And in keeping with her viewpoint, it would've been discreet. Women, especially from my mother's generation, need to realize they don't need to 'suffer' in silence or deal with those types of situations alone.
June 3, 2008 - 6:21pmThis Comment