At first, a codependent person is inclined to abandon his own needs to please those close to him, suffers from violated personal boundaries, strives to save an addict, acts heroically, and feels needed at all costs. Therefore, anxiety disorders and depression are the most frequent fellows of such people.
Dedicating your own life to save a loved one, in particular a teenage child, adult son, or daughter who uses drugs/alcohol, a person does not receive the expected gratitude and a positive result. This makes him depressed even more: he sacrifices his/her own life while all efforts to save someone else's remain in vain. Therefore, a person stores up resentments and begins to feel hopeless. The codependent negatively perceives oneself, the world, and the future: these are the three “whales” that hold the depression.
What worsens depression in codependents?
● attempts to control uncontrollable;
● blurred boundaries of your own personality;
● shame and suppression of the problem;
● denial of symptoms of depression and unwillingness to do what you love;
● social isolation;
● repetitive stresses related and unrelated to life with an addicted person.
That’s the “baggage” of problems that parents and close relatives most often bring to a specialist. It is important to remember that the sooner you receive help, the faster and more efficiently you will be able to help your loved one with further treatment and improve the quality of your life.
