Ok, I really don't know how to even say this so please forgive me if I ramble on or get off track a bit.
As some of you know, I've been some what "dating" a guy named Ric. We've had our differences because we both wanted different things from this "relationship". We've got that completely straightened out & we're on the same page. We still see each other at least once a week...sometimes twice a week. We're still in the learning about each other stage & he told me things last night that really shocked me. First of all, I was overwhelmed that he felt comfortable enough to tell me the things that he did & I could tell that he just needed to get some things off of his chest. What he told me, I've never had to deal with before & I don't know much about, so that's why I'm asking for some advice from you guys. He told me that he's battled Depression for almost 12 years & that he's been hospitalized for it a few times. He was completely honest & told me that he tried commiting suicide many times, but was unsucessful...thank God! He didn't tell me why he wanted to do it & I didn't feel comfortable asking him. I could tell it was hard for him to tell me about this. I just sat back & let him pour his heart about it. But to be honest, it scared me. I know that he's on medication for it (I seen the bottle of med's), but I didn't realize it was this severe. He told me that he hasn't "tried" in almost 5 years & that during the months of October through December are really hard for him because that was when his folks had him put in the hospital the first time. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but I didn't want to pressure him. He told me that he felt like a freak & that no one understands what he goes through or what he's gone through. I just don't know how to absorb all of this info right now. I want to think that it didn't affect how I think of him, but deep down it does...mainly because I don't know what he's going through.
So, I'm needing a little advice on how to handle this. He's really a good hearted guy & now I know (somewhat anyway) why he keeps things bottled up inside of him. It explains a lot about some of his actions, but I don't know how to move past this. Is that possible? I've thought about it all day & I still haven't got any where with it in my mind. Can someone enlighten me about this? I've had a bout with depression, but it was fairly minor & only lasted a few months. This is a lifelong battle for this man & it's something that I need to prepare myself for. I'm not saying that I plan on being part of his life forever, but I would like to think that I will be. If we aren't mean to be a couple, then I know we'll be friends for a very long time.
What do you think I should do? Any advice or suggestions would help me tremendiously at this moment. I'm really at a loss. Thank you all in advance & for listening to me. This is something I don't feel comfortable talking to any of my friends or my Mom about. I know that they can be a bit closeminded about things like this & honestly, it'd freak my Mom out if she knew.
Thanks again!
As some of you know, I've been some what "dating" a guy named Ric. We've had our differences because we both wanted different things from this "relationship". We've got that completely straightened out & we're on the same page. We still see each other at least once a week...sometimes twice a week. We're still in the learning about each other stage & he told me things last night that really shocked me. First of all, I was overwhelmed that he felt comfortable enough to tell me the things that he did & I could tell that he just needed to get some things off of his chest. What he told me, I've never had to deal with before & I don't know much about, so that's why I'm asking for some advice from you guys. He told me that he's battled Depression for almost 12 years & that he's been hospitalized for it a few times. He was completely honest & told me that he tried commiting suicide many times, but was unsucessful...thank God! He didn't tell me why he wanted to do it & I didn't feel comfortable asking him. I could tell it was hard for him to tell me about this. I just sat back & let him pour his heart about it. But to be honest, it scared me. I know that he's on medication for it (I seen the bottle of med's), but I didn't realize it was this severe. He told me that he hasn't "tried" in almost 5 years & that during the months of October through December are really hard for him because that was when his folks had him put in the hospital the first time. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but I didn't want to pressure him. He told me that he felt like a freak & that no one understands what he goes through or what he's gone through. I just don't know how to absorb all of this info right now. I want to think that it didn't affect how I think of him, but deep down it does...mainly because I don't know what he's going through.
So, I'm needing a little advice on how to handle this. He's really a good hearted guy & now I know (somewhat anyway) why he keeps things bottled up inside of him. It explains a lot about some of his actions, but I don't know how to move past this. Is that possible? I've thought about it all day & I still haven't got any where with it in my mind. Can someone enlighten me about this? I've had a bout with depression, but it was fairly minor & only lasted a few months. This is a lifelong battle for this man & it's something that I need to prepare myself for. I'm not saying that I plan on being part of his life forever, but I would like to think that I will be. If we aren't mean to be a couple, then I know we'll be friends for a very long time.
What do you think I should do? Any advice or suggestions would help me tremendiously at this moment. I'm really at a loss. Thank you all in advance & for listening to me. This is something I don't feel comfortable talking to any of my friends or my Mom about. I know that they can be a bit closeminded about things like this & honestly, it'd freak my Mom out if she knew.
Thanks again!