Helping spouse understand

[jeslight26]

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to explain to a spouse than when someone has major anxiety and MDD that sometimes it’s an automatic response to worry and that you can’t just stop the worry and overwhelmed state. He just doesn’t understand that sometimes I can’t explain what I’m going through. Any tips for what he can do in those times or advice on how to explain?

[Cristeap]

I tell people to imagine someone just popped a balloon next to you and it made you jump and get that horrible scared and anxious feeling that goes away in a sec. Imagine that horrible feeling staying with you for hours sometimes days weeks that only goes away when you are sleeping or somehow thinking about something else but the moment that problem comes back in your head so does that popping balloon feeling and until the problem is solved you will have that uncomfortable feeling of panic and fear.

[Missnoname in reply to Cristeap]

That's a good way to explain it.