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Depression in Military Spouses

Military spouses suffer from depression—a treatable medical condition causing chronic sadness--among other emotions. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the specific cause of depression isn’t always known. Depression frequently occurs in military families as a result of the absence or death of a loved one. Researchers from the University of North Carolina in January 2010 published results from a study that found wives of deployed soldiers suffer from depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and other mental health issues more often than military wives whose husbands don’t deploy.

  1. About Depression

    • According to Military.com, depression is a mental disorder affecting the mind and body. It has an impact on a military spouse’s moods and thoughts—the way he thinks of himself and the world around him. Depression usually doesn’t go away on its own, but is treatable when help is sought. The most challenging part of depression is recognizing a spouse is suffering from the disease. Depression is sometimes mistaken for a case of the blues triggered when a spouse leaves for an extended period of time, such as with a tour of duty or another life-altering event.

    Types of Depression

    • Depression exists in several forms. From a less severe case, known as dysthymia, which prevents a spouse from functioning normally to major depression that’s downright debilitating; depressive episodes runs the gamut. Bipolar depression is another form (formerly known as mania) that causes a spouse to experience changeable moods, which appear suddenly or gradually as a cycle.

    Symptoms

    • Depression triggers many symptoms in military spouses, and not all who suffer from depression experience the same symptoms. Symptoms of mild cases of depression include constant sadness, hopelessness, guilt, inability to sleep, loss of pleasure, fatigue, suicidal thoughts, irritability, difficult concentrating and reoccurring physical disorders, such as chronic pain, digestive issues and/or headaches that don’t react to treatment. More severe forms of depression, like mania, involve increased sexual appetite, severe insomnia, restlessness, racing thoughts, poor judgment, an unexplained surge of energy and poor social behavior.

    Causes

    • A number of factors cause depression in adults. For some individuals it’s due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. Depression is also thought of as genetic condition that’s triggered by a life-altering event, such as when a spouse is deployed, financial issues, a strained relationship, a serious injury or prolonged absence or loss of a spouse. In general, it’s usually explained as a combination of two or more cognitive, genetic and environmental factors causing a spouse to become ill.

    Military Assistance

    • Perhaps the most difficult aspect of treatment for spouses to overcome is the perceived stigma associated with obtaining mental health services. Some believe that reflects poorly on their spouses' military records. The military offers programs to help families and spouses cope with depression to overcome this stigma. It provides a 24-hour hotline, 800-342-9647, for members of the military and their spouses to access the support they need. In addition, military personnel and families can seek services through the Military OneSource program that connects individuals to mental health services and programs. In some areas, free or low-cost counseling is available to military families. The military also offers a web-based counseling program to supply therapy to military personnel and their families in crisis.

    Treatment

    • The general treatment plan frequently requires the spouse to undergo a complete psychiatric evaluation by a trained physician, who can properly diagnose depression, before any treatment is provided. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, treatment generally consists of antidepressant medications and/or psychotherapy. The antidepressant medications prescribed include tricyclics, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and lithium. Mental health professionals conduct psychotherapy sessions aimed at helping patients work through their conflicts and cope with the events generating depressive episodes. Ongoing treatment helps to reduce symptoms of depression, along with support of family and friends.

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