Does divorce always rhyme with depression?

With around 130,000 divorces a year in France, around 40% of marriages end this way. If some live it as an ordeal from which they never really return, others manage to overcome it in a sometimes surprising manner.

History of depression as a determining factor

According to some studies, a person’s emotional response to their divorce depends mainly on their propensity for depression. More than one in two adults who have ever suffered from depression will experience a depressive episode again after their divorce. This propensity is only 10% in adults who have never had such a history, thus testifying to their capacities for resilience in the face of life’s ordeals.

Divorce therefore has no serious depressive effect in people who were not previously sensitive to it. Separation or divorce, on the other hand, exacerbates the psychological risks already present.

How to overcome your divorce?

Overcoming a divorce takes time and energy to recreate a daily life and to get rid of your past relationship. Knowing how to surround yourself with these difficult times, whether by friends or family, allows you not to feel alone in the face of your emotions.

In people who have already experienced depression, support from a health professional, whether it be a psychologist or a psychiatrist, is essential to contain the depression that may return. Drug support with an antidepressant and psychotherapy may be necessary.

Source: Sbarra, D. A., Emery, R. E., Beam, C. R., & Ocker, B. L. (2014). Marital Dissolution and Major Depression in Midlife: A Propensity Score Analysis. Clinical Psychological Science, 2 (3), 249–257. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702613498727

Find out more: “Divorced and happy! – Or how to survive a divorce” by Anne Roumanoff, editions Cherche Midi.

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