A parent would anything for their child, right? Here’s why that’s a problem
A parent would anything for their child, right? Here’s why that’s a problem

Amanda Cassidy

Prince Harry: ‘This isn’t just about phone hacking. This is about accountability of power’
Prince Harry: ‘This isn’t just about phone hacking. This is about accountability of power’

Sarah Finnan

Filled with charm and age-old character, this three-bedroom Wexford home is on sale for €275,000
Filled with charm and age-old character, this three-bedroom Wexford home is on sale for €275,000

Sarah Gill

Ask the Doctor: ‘There’s a history of breast cancer in my family, and national screening starts at 50, but should I get things checked sooner?’
Ask the Doctor: ‘There’s a history of breast cancer in my family, and national screening...

Sarah Gill

Stylish, sustainable, and tailored to you, this Wexford wedding venue should be on your radar
Stylish, sustainable, and tailored to you, this Wexford wedding venue should be on your radar

Sarah Gill

Supper Club: Donna Hay’s family-friendly, extra healthy pesto pasta
Supper Club: Donna Hay’s family-friendly, extra healthy pesto pasta

Meg Walker

The extension to this Georgian home beautifully blends old and new
The extension to this Georgian home beautifully blends old and new

Megan Burns

This charming seaside cottage in Co Wexford is on the market for €275,000
This charming seaside cottage in Co Wexford is on the market for €275,000

Sarah Finnan

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley on her life in beauty
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley on her life in beauty

Holly O'Neill

24 cheese boards and serving plates that will elevate your culinary presentation
24 cheese boards and serving plates that will elevate your culinary presentation

Sarah Gill

Image / Self / Health & Wellness / Real-life Stories / Relationships
premium
SELF

‘Sometimes I resent him and want to leave him’: Living with someone with a mental health condition


by Leonie Corcoran
26th Feb 2022

Getty

blank

Anna is 36. Her partner of four years is living with high levels of anxiety, but is not seeking treatment or support. Sometimes things are ‘normal’. At other times, she has to encourage him to get out of bed. After two years of living together during a pandemic, she’s tired. Very tired.

Raw. Frayed. Optimistic. Jaded. I move between these four states, sometimes all in one day. It reminds me the Irish phrase of experiencing “four seasons in a day”. That’s me sometimes though I feel like I am in the ‘jaded’ season more often than not recently. My partner is living with a mental health condition and I am living with him. A number of years ago he was diagnosed with, what he said, was “anxiety”....

You have reached a premium article.

For unlimited digital access to the stories worth paying for, subscribe now to IMAGE from just €4.99 a month
Subscribe