“Situational Depression” A Diagnosis the System Ignores

Mental health professionals often diagnose parents with situational depression.

This diagnosis means one thing:

The distress is caused by the circumstances — not a chronic condition.

Parents are told:

• When the case resolves, the depression will ease
• Stress is a natural reaction to separation and uncertainty

At the same time, the system does the opposite of what the diagnosis requires.

Stress is prolonged.

Uncertainty is extended.

Goals are shifted.

Parents are pushed harder, monitored closer, and tested longer — not to reduce risk, but to observe how much they can endure.

When emotional strain finally surfaces, it is documented as instability.

The system teaches parents that relapse, emotional strain, and distress are realities of recovery — then punishes them for experiencing exactly that.

This is not treatment-informed practice.

It is contradiction.