In my reply there I wrote:

"What concerns me is when I see these women just frazzled beyond belief, with many, many kids, trying to keep up with the Joneses in terms of curriculum, lifestyle, food, activities."

There is a psychiatrist who teaches in my co-op and she says she can tell a lot of homeschooling moms are depressed, some severely. They are tired, short tempered, zoned out, suffering chronically from aches and pains.

My therapist said she sees a lot of homeschooling moms. And there are many I see that do not exhibit the "classic" signs of depression (the blues) so they don't think they should seek help. (She supports homeschooling, BTW, but not at the expense of the physical and mental well being of the family.)

Or they are afraid of pharmaceuticals and keep playing around with supplements but don't get professional advise on them because they can't afford to and insurance won't cover it.

Or they think homeschooling is supposed to be such an uplifting experience they shouldn't be depressed.

Or they thing their faith will keep them from getting depressed.

Or they think being eternally pregnant is wonderful because look at Michelle Duggar.

Or they think they are getting brownie points from someone, somewhere for homeschooling.

Or they are just so tired they can't see what is going on with themselves.

Or they think they have to volunteer for everything or be at every event because no one can be trusted with my kids except me. This coupled with fear of government, big business, the food and drug industries, would cause a huge emotional burden.

Maybe because I deal with depression I am more aware, but has anyone else noticed this?

I agree that homeschool burnout is real! It could happen whether you homeschool or not. One of my in-laws is a working mom who is harried all the time between helping with her children's homework/projects, getting her kids to their extracurricular events, keeping house, and being a wife etc.. She's one of the most stressed out people I know! It's not just homeschoolers, but this overscheduled, overdone burnout permeates our society. Keeping up with the Jones isn't worth the cost!

Michelle32

never mind

This post was edited on Nov 05, 2009 08:00 AM

Question: is environmentally induced depression (that is, "I have too much to do and too little time to do it and now I am horribly depressed.") really a medical condition that needs medication or is it really a case of "You need to pare down."

I've often wondered this, given all the hs moms on antidepressants.

Paring down is key in keeping the stress at
a reasonable level. The whole family
pays the price when there's too much going on!

Michelle32

Are there a lot of hs moms on antidepressants? We are rather new to this, so I wasn't aware of this.

There are a lot of people on them period. They are cheaper and quicker than therapy and many of them are safe. They are also helpful with dealing with menopause and perimenopause and their popularity for this is increasing due to the risks of hormone therapy.

I have struggled with it all my life, and it wasn't until I got the actual "blues" that I recognized it for what it is and took action. But I do think lifestyle wore down my coping mechanism. Our society is crazy busy and distracted.

As for homeschoolers being medication, I am finding many who are. I also know many who try to manage depression naturally, ogten times with success, many who think they should be helped but don't want the label a(but who would know unless they tell people). I do see many homeschoolers saying the medical community as a whole is evil. I view it with skepticism, but I can't make a blanket statement because I do know some wonderful, judicious practitioners.

Are there a lot of hs moms on antidepressants? We are rather new to this, so I wasn't aware of this.

***************

I doubt that the percentage is any higher than ps moms. (And hs moms can have other stresses in their lives, too. It may not be because of homeschooling.)

I think people would rather pop a pill than really "fix" whatever is wrong (like eliminating activities that cause stress).

I also think psychiatrists are trained to find things "wrong" with people. Has this psychiatrist found anyone in your group who is completely "normal"?


Yeah, I'm kind of cynical when it comes to most doctors.