Fellow husband to an SO with depression (and other things). A few tips, right out of the gate:

- First, be honest with yourself about what you're capable of: love, support, guidance, etc., which is *not* the same as being a licensed therapist. There is only so much you can do for someone that is clinically depressed. Be sure that this is something you make clear with yourself up front, before letting the weight of the world drag you down.

I harp on this because you can easily go down the path of blaming yourself for not being supportive "enough" or not doing "enough" - STOP. There is only so much a partner can do, and very often, these situations *demand* licensed professionals.

- It *sounds* like she is seeking therapy, but has that doctor yet to prescribe something? Depression isn't curable but it is *manageable* and a licensed therapist (after seeing her for a few sessions) should be starting her down a pharmacological path. If that isn't happening, you might want to consider directing her towards a different professional.

- This one is tough, but you must make it clear where your boundaries are. You need time to re-energize, reclaim your own mental health (eg. consider blocks on the calendar that are *you* time), but more importantly, sit her down and have that conversation. To paraphrase:

"I want to make sure you get the very best treatment possible, so that you can enjoy life again. But that's going to involve sticking to your therapist's plan and following through. And I will certainly do whatever I can to help that along. But if you won't, I can't sit by and allow your depression to affect me as well. There are going to be times where I need a break, too, and I need you to respect that."

Side note on this last one: My SO suffers from bipolar depression, and is also suffering from an as-yet-diagnosed chronic pain issue in her feet (Our "specialists" have not been very good) and there are often periods of time where my SO will moan out in agony or cry and whimper for long periods of time (imagine a puppy crying for its mother at 3:00am).

(They are doing it now as I type this!)

The point I'm trying to make is: I am dedicated to finding a specialist that will accurately diagnose her root cause and get this issue solved *BUT* I have a job! Y'know? With responsibilities? I need sleep, too! There are times where her crying and moaning BURN into my brain and I hear them when I'm not even in the house...

You. Need. A. Break. Too.

I'll change rooms. I'll throw on some headphones...I'll take a walk...anything. If it means leaving the house, so be it. You must give yourself this time, too. It is not a cakewalk living with a person suffering from depression, and if you've still got some fight in you and are not yet ready to whip up those divorce papers, then you have *got* to set boundaries and you *must* get some "YOU" time.

Make this clear with her. If you are going to make this work, you can't be surrounded in it 24/7.

Remember: living with someone suffering with a mental illness can feel like you're at the foot of a burning skyscraper and someone hands you a hose and says, "K, get to it."

Uh...it's going to take more than what you're capable of to put the fire out. Make sure remind yourself of that.

[EDIT]

- You should also seriously consider some therapy for yourself. I cashed in a few hours of mental wellness through my work and got to speak to a therapist about the weight I was carrying. It may help more than you might think.