DP stopped taking meds.

[BeetlebumShesAGun]

Hi. Wondering if anyone can give me some advice.

DP suffers from depression and anxiety and finally got himself a brilliant doctor who diagnosed him correctly and supported him. He put him on Citalopram and Propanolol and recommended CBT. DP refuses point blank to go to CBT as he won't take time off work (got fired from previous job for having time off due to his mental health) but that is another story.

From time to time he stops taking his meds as "they don't make him feel any different." He may say that but everyone around him can see the change in him. We have a 5 month old DD and he has been wonderful recently but I know he's stopped taking them recently as all the old signs have started to appear. I try to talk to him about this but he just brushes me off.

Is there anything I can do to help him?

Thank you

I am scizoaffective and I stop taking my meds all the time too. I guess because it's hard to accept I have such a severe mental illness when I feel well. Also because I don't want to accept that I am weak and I'll. may this be the case with your dh that he perceives depression as weakness and therefore won't accept his diagnosis? If so my recommendation is to re assure him that you love him and that having a mental illness doesn't make him weak.

If not then I recommend you find out why he stops his meds and try to work on it.

Thanks. I think you are right because he swings between accepting it and being quite positive when he is on them to saying it's stupid he has to take drugs to feel normal.

I just tried to speak to him about it and he is adamant he is fine and is justifiably stressed about normal things - money, work etc and says he is tired of people telling him he's ill when he is actually just reacting to everyday stresses. Which I can see but it's his whole demeanour that changes if that makes sense?

His mum and dad have noticed the change in him too. His dad also has depression and has spoken to him about it in the past so I may ask him to have a word but when I do that he gets angry at me for discussing him behind his back.

I see that sounds difficult. It's nice your willing to support him through this. Just have faith in him and re assure him.

He may have issues if his dad was depressed as a child with being diagnosed as depressed.