Both forms of depression in men, overt and covert, frequently evoke in mates an urge to protect their husbands. If overtly depressed men often implicitly demand care, covertly depressed men often implicitly demand dysfunctionality. The spouse of a covertly depressed man may offer herself up as a scapegoat, expressing his projected vulnerabilities for him. This is a phenomenon called adult-to-adult carried feelings.
