I have hated living with my Sufferer.
He is lazy, inconsiderate, argumentative, apathetic, oblivious, aggressive, selfish, and pathetic.
Except, he isn't.
Depression is.
Learning to separate the two things - your Sufferer and their depression - is the only way I can cope with this. Thinking of the depression as an uninvited - and unwelcome - house guest allows us both to acknowledge its existence, deal with the associated fallout and yet remain united against it like the third party it is in our relationship.
Maybe the black dog analogy works best for you. Perhaps there's a better alternative. Maybe you should give your Sufferer's depression a name, a personality. Anything that helps to focus on the fact that depression is not your Sufferer. Don't make too much of a joke of it - the last thing a sufferer of depression needs is to feel ridiculed - but a little humour can unite and carries us through the hardest of times.
We have recently adopted the black dog analogy and both find it very helpful. He doesn't have a name yet but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. Afterall, he is already a 'he'. Any suggestions?
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