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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Husband slept with someone else because he was depressed.

128 replies

Barney77 · 17/01/2020 21:48

So. Long story short, been together over ten years, several children, recently married. Other half super busy at work and became depressed. He then had a bit of a crisis, had some time off, saw the GP, is on antidepressants, CBT, counselling. Feels he is doing much better. Has now confided in me that while depressed, and convinced he would/had lost me, couldn’t see the Point in going on, he slept with a woman at work. He had apparently never fancied her, but knew she fancied him. She had to pop to his office, she flirted so he flirted back so they had unprotected sex in a disabled loo at four in the afternoon. He regretted it afterwards. No contact since. Until she messaged him to say he needed an STI test as she had chlamydia.

He told me at this point. But apparently would have told me anyway as he felt so bad. But in the meantime had carried on sleeping with me and had never thought to get tested or do anything to protect me.

I have no idea what to do with this situation. But the bit I keep coming back to is that fact that he genuinely believes he only acted like this as he was depressed, so if not depressed it could never happen again. I find this bit difficult to accept. Can you be so depressed you ‘accidentally’ do something this fundamentally crap?

I am fairly flat on most other aspects. Have had every STD test under the sun, a good long weep at my GP, rants with friends, and we are separating. But I still get stuck in the fact he really believes that the depression was the sole cause of this behaviour. Thoughts?

OP posts:
longtimelurkerhelen · 17/01/2020 23:00

Depression would make it less likely, not more. When you are depressed, the last thing you want is sex. He is a liar, only confessed because he had given you an STD.

Celticrose · 18/01/2020 00:37

When I had depression the last thing on my mind was shagging a colleague in the disabled loo. Just getting through the day was all I could cope with.

Wonderland18 · 18/01/2020 00:40

Not an excuse!
Hope your okay op

lexiepuppy · 18/01/2020 00:49

I have depression and i have never shagged someone in the works disabled toilet.
How classy......
Thank God you have got away.Flowers

AdoraBell · 18/01/2020 00:49

Get legal advice, tell a solicitor that what he told you. Don’t let him reel you in and gloss over his cheating.

jayho · 18/01/2020 01:01

He's probably 'depressed' because he got caught, sorry

VisionQuest · 18/01/2020 01:05

Oh what a load of bollocks. I don't think anyone who was suffering with depression would be remotely interested in sex.

It was on a plate and he took it. End of.

Sorry OP. You're doing the right thing leaving him.

lisag1969 · 18/01/2020 01:25

He's trying to justify himself and take some of the blame away from himself. X

HouseworkAvoider10 · 18/01/2020 01:30

divorce seems the right option here.

Barney77 · 18/01/2020 07:05

Thank you for your responses. Espeuintetwsting tonhear what those of you who have been depressed yourselves say about libido and motivation. All fairly damming....

We have some joint counselling coming up. Don’t know what his individual counselling has said but know that is focussed on his depression and anxiety and how to manage that, so interested to see what an outside party makes of it. He thinks they will help me understand how badly affected he was and why he wound never do this to me now. I think it is more likely to highlight how skewed his thinking is and hopefully help me feel clearer and better about leaving him for what he has done. Would love him to gain some actual insight but not sure this will happen.

Reading old threads in the night when I can’t sleep and pondering what organisational and financial ducks I need to get sorted.

Genuinely gutted that he can’t just admit what he has done but has to try and excuse it. Try’s to make it her fault too - because she ‘came on’ to him but doesn’t seem to see that he could just have said no. Feels worse that it was daylight and at work and sober somehow?

OP posts:
Sassanacs · 18/01/2020 07:25

That is so fucking grim... unprotected... now an STI. Why even bother with counselling?

Sunsetandmoonlight · 18/01/2020 07:29

I agree that in a way the fact it was at work in daylight and sober is worse, not least because it would be so easy to for him to do it again. The detail of the disabled toilets is not pleasant.

A one-off drunken night out, still not excusable, would be different somehow.

Hepsibar · 18/01/2020 07:29

My thoughts are that it makes no difference either way:

He's either just your plain ordinary sort of cheat, and then using the depression as an excuse for bad behaviour.

or

He has some sort of mental condition which means he cannot help himself sexually

Neither of which is a reason to stay with him.

Barney77 · 18/01/2020 07:36

I know counselling can’t fix this. Want to feel have tried what I can as several children in the mix. Also tbh need to understand how he could do this a bit more. Feeing pretty shitty about myself just now so maybe understanding why he did it will help process it a bit?

OP posts:
Sassanacs · 18/01/2020 08:27

All you need to understand is that it's all about him and nothing to do with you. Are you fucking ppl in the toilets at work or were you handling your business and staying loyal to your DH... depression is no excuse. He wasn't thinking about the kids or anything other than himself. It actually turns my stomach so I think you're doing amazingly well even being on the same planet tbh

Longsight2019 · 18/01/2020 08:28

It went something like this:

He’s always shagged around behind your back throughout your relationship.

You got married and in his head that was it - he would be faithful, but because he’s a prick he continued to give signals to anyone available.

This “shag” in a toilet was likely a full-blown affair with someone and had been going on for months. He caught the clap, gossip gets around at work, the pressure gets too much when he thinks it might get back to you so he feigns depression and enters a complete fantasy world.

The worry here is that he believes his own propaganda and so do you.

Absolutely get rid of the stupid fool.

TheMotherofAllDilemmas · 18/01/2020 08:35

“He slept with her because he was depressed”

...You kick him out because you are upset.

Simple as that, the stress and pain his cheating has brought to you it is irrelevant, he only cares about his own “feelings”, I think there is far more in play here, most people who are depressed lock themselves in their own spaces, they don’t lock themselves in public toilets to have sex with coworkers.

And wait for the effects of it, what he has done can still easily cost him his job.

AwdBovril · 18/01/2020 08:38

I agree he didn't do it because he's depressed. Depression - at least, the "common" type of depression, doesn't make people want to do that. It may (I'm being charitable here) have made him feel really low, & in need of a ego boost. But, there are so many other ways of dealing with that. His first idea to make himself feel better shouldn't have been to shag some colleague in a work toilet, how grotty.

Glad you've found out now, & that your test came back clear.

TheMotherofAllDilemmas · 18/01/2020 08:39

I know counselling can’t fix this. Want to feel have tried what I can as several children in the mix

One thing that you will also need to consider is that it is sometimes kinder on the kids to grow as members of a separate family, than having them modelling the idea of what a relationship and family life should be, on a toxic home environment.

SandyY2K · 18/01/2020 08:50

For those giving their experience of depression, it can affect ppl differently, so just because you didn't feel xyz way, doesn't mean another person won't.

Having said that, my feeling would be that if he gets depressed again...which could easily happen...then what? He sleeps with someone else.

It seems that it wasn't pre-planned hence the disabled toilets.

Even if his depression caused him to pull his trousers down and have sex with a colleague....it's still unacceptable.

He had such little regard for you and your sexual health...just having to get tested would signify the end for me.
If depression makes a moody violet person, I'm happy to walk away, as I won't live like that.

Purplewhitelie · 18/01/2020 08:51

If you want revenge anonymously tell his HR that persons have been shagging in work time in the toilets!

user1483387154 · 18/01/2020 08:54

he is lying. being depressed doesn't make you fuck people.

Lozzerbmc · 18/01/2020 08:55

Depression surely is low feelings and not having interest in things so blaming infidelity on depression is just an excuse. He has done 2 things here a) been unfaithful and b) put your health at risk without a second thought. Unforgiveable i think.

user7522689 · 18/01/2020 08:58

Have you had any individual counselling on your own to help you process it? Without him sitting there feeding you bullshit and trying to wheedle his way back in. Space for you to reflect and discuss with a neutral third party.

Because going into joint counselling with someone who's already stated his manipulative intent sounds like it'd be more of a headfuck than helpful to your healing. I would be concerned about the professionalism and competence of any counsellor who let him stay them into doing this:

He thinks they will help me understand how badly affected he was and why he wound never do this to me now.

You need your own counsellor with your best interests in mind.

LanternLighter · 18/01/2020 09:12

I was told this by my counsellor when ex blamed depression
“Depression doesn’t change your morals or make you not know what you’re doing”
It’s a very easy get out and makes me angry that they blame this awful disease for doing a terrible thing.
Sending hugs, you will get through this and be stronger Flowers

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