Episode 158: Dating with Depression – Relationships and Mental Health
January 10, 2023 by Justin Lehmiller
Relationships are hard. But they can be especially hard when you or a partner are dealing with depression. In this episode, we’re going to explore how mental health issues like depression can pose unique relationship challenges, but also consider practical tips and tools for overcoming them, including how to be a supportive partner when you’re with someone who is depressed.
I am joined once again by JoEllen Notte, a writer, speaker, and mental health advocate whose work explores the impact of depression on sex and relationships. Since 2012 she has written about sex, mental health, and how none of us are broken on her award-winning site, The Redhead Bedhead. JoEllen is the author of The Monster Under The Bed: Sex, Depression, and the Conversations We Aren’t Having as well as the upcoming book In It Together: Navigating Depression with Partners, Friends, and Family. Some of the topics we discuss include:
- How to take care of your mental health while dating.
- When to disclose a mental health condition to a partner.
- How depression can impact marriages and other long-term relationships.
- How to know when being unhappy is a mental health issue vs. a relationship issue.
- What people can do to be supportive of a partner with depression.
- Suggestions for navigating a breakup while managing depression or anxiety.
Learn more about JoEllen at redheadbedhead.com.
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Dr. Justin Lehmiller
Founder & Owner of Sex and PsychologyDr. Justin Lehmiller is a social psychologist and Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute. He runs the Sex and Psychology blog and podcast and is author of the popular book Tell Me What You Want. Dr. Lehmiller is an award-winning educator, and a prolific researcher who has published more than 50 academic works.
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