--- title: "Depression and Stress | Sutter Health" description: "I'm 33, with two wonderful kids, but my life is falling apart when it comes to my relationship with my husband. I don't want to be around him because he's so controlling. I cry a lot, my head pounds, I'm dizzy and I have body pain. Is this depression?" url: "/ask-an-expert/answers/depression-stress-1051061095" --- 1. Home / 2. Depression and Stress # Depression and Stress * * * Medically reviewed by - Daniel Becker, M.D. ## Question I'm 33, with two wonderful kids, but my life is falling apart when it comes to my relationship with my husband. I don't want to be around him because he's so controlling. I cry a lot, my head pounds, I'm dizzy and I have body pain. Is this depression? ## Answer You appear to be under a great deal of stress, both in your interpersonal life and with respect to physical symptoms. Some of the symptoms that you mentioned - such as dizziness and pain - can be associated with a wide range of medical conditions. Because of this, I strongly recommend that you consult with your primary care physician. You asked about depression. Although there are many forms of depressive illness, the most common is major depressive disorder. This condition is characterized by depressed mood accompanied by several additional symptoms (e.g., suicidal thinking, lack of interest in pleasurable activities, prominent feelings of guilt, loss of energy, poor concentration, appetite changes, and sleep disturbance). Additionally, depression is frequently accompanied by tearfulness. Although you did not mention depressed mood or the other specific symptoms of major depression, your frequent tearfulness may be an indicator that you are depressed. When you speak with your primary care physician, I recommend asking him/her to screen you for depression. If your physician thinks that you are depressed, he/she may initiate treatment or refer you to a mental health practitioner. You also mentioned that your relationship with your spouse is particularly difficult. Stress - including stress in interpersonal relationships - can contribute to a variety of psychiatric and non-psychiatric medical conditions. When individuals become aware of unusual stress in their marriage or primary relationship, it is worth considering ways to reduce that stress. For many couples, talking about the problem is sufficient to improve communication and to reduce stress. Others find that marital therapy is helpful. Again, when you speak with your physician, you may wish to inquire whether referral to a marital therapist would be helpful in your case. ## Explore related topics Mental health ## Related questions View all questions - Health Q&A ### Bipolar Disorder: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis Is there a test to confirm if you are bipolar? 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View all questions ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/depression-stress-1051061095#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Depression and Stress"}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalWebPage","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/depression-stress-1051061095#medicalwebpage","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/depression-stress-1051061095","name":"Depression and Stress","description":"You appear to be under a great deal of stress, both in your interpersonal life and with respect to physical symptoms.","inLanguage":"en-US","medicalAudience":{"@type":"MedicalAudience","audienceType":"Patient"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/depression-stress-1051061095#breadcrumblist"},"mainEntity":{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/depression-stress-1051061095#question","name":"Depression and Stress","text":"I'm 33, with two wonderful kids, but my life is falling apart when it comes to my relationship with my husband. I don't want to be around him because he's so controlling. I cry a lot, my head pounds, I'm dizzy and I have body pain. Is this depression?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/depression-stress-1051061095#answer","text":"You appear to be under a great deal of stress, both in your interpersonal life and with respect to physical symptoms. Some of the symptoms that you mentioned - such as dizziness and pain - can be associated with a wide range of medical conditions. Because of this, I strongly recommend that you consult with your primary care physician. You asked about depression. Although there are many forms of depressive illness, the most common is major depressive disorder. This condition is characterized by depressed mood accompanied by several additional symptoms (e.g., suicidal thinking, lack of interest in pleasurable activities, prominent feelings of guilt, loss of energy, poor concentration, appetite changes, and sleep disturbance). Additionally, depression is frequently accompanied by tearfulness. Although you did not mention depressed mood or the other specific symptoms of major depression, your frequent tearfulness may be an indicator that you are depressed. When you speak with your primary care physician, I recommend asking him/her to screen you for depression. If your physician thinks that you are depressed, he/she may initiate treatment or refer you to a mental health practitioner. You also mentioned that your relationship with your spouse is particularly difficult. Stress - including stress in interpersonal relationships - can contribute to a variety of psychiatric and non-psychiatric medical conditions. When individuals become aware of unusual stress in their marriage or primary relationship, it is worth considering ways to reduce that stress. For many couples, talking about the problem is sufficient to improve communication and to reduce stress. Others find that marital therapy is helpful. 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