Everyone Says He Is Depressed, Is He? Or Does He Really Want A Divorce??

Question:

I have been with my husband for 9 years and married for 4. We have 3 children. Three months ago he left, stating we were over. He is 35, I am years old. I always thought our relationship was great, and did everyone. Ours was the type of relationship that, when people saw us, they knew we were in love. Not because we were all over each other, but for the connection we had. We were best friends, soul mates.

On the day he left and declared we were over. Naturally I was shocked and asked him if he wanted a divorce as I was confused?? He immediately said, “No!” I explained that if he didn’t want to be with me anymore and as was strongly saying so, we would in the future have to get divorced. His sulky reply was, “I suppose we will get divorced then!”

Ad

I have been confused as he played loving husband right up until he left, even whisking me upstairs on several occasions days before he left. I asked why he did this and he replied he was trying to make the marriage work. However, he won’t communicate and I had no idea. He regrets not telling me, but feels it’s too late now. Since that day he has not changed his mind. He had a loving wife, three lovely children, a house and etc. He won’t work at the marriage and will not talk about it.

I’m sure there isn’t another woman although I can’t be 100% sure. He says he loves me and always will, finds me sexually attractive, I’m a good wife mother etc. But he sees me as a best friend and not his wife. He feels the spark has gone.

Therapists are Standing By to Treat Your Depression, Anxiety or Other Mental Health Needs

Explore Your Options Today

Ad

I have tried everything to save the marriage, but he won’t budge at all, and will not try  and get the spark back. I’m confused how he can throw it all away? I have asked how long he felt like this before he left and he said two months. Two months to me doesn’t seem long enough to decide to end a marriage.

The romance has dissipated a bit, what with having young 3 kids and both of us working, but he isn’t romantic or sexual, really. I have usually started things going and suggested stuff to excite things, while he was always a bit prudish and shy. I have never denied him or made him feel unloved. We always kiss each other everyday, hugged, wrote notes, etc.

The only problem we did have that was a constant niggle for him was money and his job. He did love his job, but, now that he is in management and has more stress, he hates it. He feels trapped there because it pays well and he has felt this way for a very time. He has suffered from work related stress and our MD has signed him off from work before because of it. He is always fed up with only having enough money to pay bills and nothing to play with. He is never happy come pay day, and is on a constant downer.

I could be wrong but it seems like he has got so down, that to escape it all he feels he needs to literally escape everything and start again. He wants to sell the house and pay off debts through the divorce.

I have already filed for divorce. However, it has been thee months of him saying he loves me but isn’t in-love. He won’t go to counseling, won’t talk and won’t do anything, not even for the kids sake. He won’t try just to say he has tried. He is 100% sure and hasn’t any doubts!

I cannot believe this. This isn’t the man I married. He is just so cold that he doesn’t seem to even care about the kids!! He has literally walked away and not looked back.

Am I delusional?? Is he perfectly sane or could he be depressed? I just hope he is sure this is what he truly wants because I do love him still and would hate for him to regret this later when it is too late, Divorce isn’t really going to improve things.

This Disclaimer applies to the Answer Below
  • Dr. Schwartz responds to questions about psychotherapy and mental health problems, from the perspective of his training in clinical psychology.
  • Dr. Schwartz intends his responses to provide general educational information to the readership of this website; answers should not be understood to be specific advice intended for any particular individual(s).
  • Questions submitted to this column are not guaranteed to receive responses.
  • No correspondence takes place.
  • No ongoing relationship of any sort (including but not limited to any form of professional relationship) is implied or offered by Dr. Schwartz to people submitting questions.
  • Dr. Schwartz, Mental Help Net and CenterSite, LLC make no warranties, express or implied, about the information presented in this column. Dr. Schwartz and Mental Help Net disclaim any and all merchantability or warranty of fitness for a particular purpose or liability in connection with the use or misuse of this service.
  • Always consult with your psychotherapist, physician, or psychiatrist first before changing any aspect of your treatment regimen. Do not stop your medication or change the dose of your medication without first consulting with your physician.
Answer:

Its clear that you are both shocked and confused about why this man wants a divorce. In fact, you keep asking is he really wants a divorce. I am not sure why you keep asking that question because he has made it perfectly clear that this is his intention and nothing will change his mind. Perhaps you ask that question out the sense of total surprise that you experience.

The type of situation you are in is all to common. In fact, I have written an article about it for Mentalhelp.net. It is called, “Sudden End to A Marriage,” and can be found by clicking on this URL:

Ad

https://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_index.php?idx=119&d=1&w=5&e=41301

I fully agree with you that he was dissatisfied with the marriage for a lot longer than two months. Like most spouses, the signs and symptoms were there but you over looked and dismissed them.

You are making every effort to explain to yourself why this happened. However, in his refusal to speak about his reasons, you are left with no idea about what his complaints were. People do not divorce because of job dissatisfaction. They do not usually divorce because of depression unless the non depressed partner wants out. In fact, you really have no idea whether or not he’s depressed. By the way, wanting a divorce does not make him mentally ill. I know you want to believe this because it would provide some explanation. In my opinion there is no use for you to speculate about his motivations. As the saying goes, “You are spinning your wheels.”

You are even hoping that he will regret his decision once its too late. I doubt that will happen because he is so very determined. However, I do not have a crystal ball and anything is possible. If I were you I would not pin my hopes on it.

I must tell you that I find it somewhat baffling when you state that you still love this man. After all, he is ignoring his children and that is something truly outrageous. People divorce without walking away from their children. They may give up their spouse, car, house but not their children. This is why I have to question your’re still loving him. I believe you need to think about it.

In my opinion you are quite right to file for divorce. I hope you are consulting an attorney to protect your rights as well as those of the children. When you go to court, it will be interesting to see if he wants shared custody of the children. This is an important question because they need their father and they need to know he loves them, divorce or not.

Best of Luck

More "Ask Dr. Schwartz" View Columnists

Myndfulness App

Designed to Help You Feel Better Daily

Myndfuless App Rating

Download Now For Free

Learn More >

Ad