The Wedding Blues
According to a recent article in CNN, many newlyweds face a period of depression shortly after their wedding. Although this depression is not a clinical diagnosis, many couples will admit that it is real. Psychiatrists say that the wedding blues hits shortly after the big day because people realize their expectations that their partner or relationship will change are just dreams. The new couple is forced out of their bride and groom dream-state and pushed to get on with their lives.
The psychologist Dr. Michelle Gannon, who holds the workshop Marriage Prep 101, said that many recently married couples have signed up for the class to deal with life following the wedding. While many people are only slightly disappointed with real life after the big day, therapists say about 5 to 10 percent suffer from “strong remorse, sadness or frustration” that leads to them seeking counseling, and some even end up getting a divorce within weeks or months of the big day.
November 28th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Some people are probably depressed because they know they have made a mistake even before the marriage. I just posted an entry on my blog, The Divorce Saloon called, “Marry with eyes wide shut, divorce with eyes wide open.” I was prompted to write it because I have found that in counseling clients who are seeking a divorce, an astounding number of them admit that they knew about their husband’s faults before they married him, but that they married him anyways.
Some of them settled, some had more pragmatic reason, some just thought marriage would change him. But they all knew before the wedding that this was probably Mr. Wrong. I think that might be why at least a few of these newly weds are depressed. Check out what I said in the entry at http://www.marionlewisesq.blogspot.com. Or link to it from my website: http://www.marionlewisesq.com
The only silver lining is that many people go on to second marriages. So I would just say, next time, be careful who you marry and maybe you won’t feel so depressed right after the big day.