Japanese women suffering from Retired Husband Syndrome

[Kadie]

Japanese women suffering from Retired Husband Syndrome
Some wives become sick under the stress of demanding spouses
Anthony Faiola, Washington Post

Tuesday, October 18, 2005


Tokyo -- Sakura Terakawa, 63, describes her four decades of married life in a small urban apartment as a gradual transition from wife to mother to servant. Communication with her husband started with love letters and wooing words under pink cherry blossoms. It devolved over time, she said, into mostly demands for his evening meals and complaints over the quality of her housework.

So when he came home one afternoon three years ago, beaming, and announced he was ready to retire, Terakawa despaired.

" 'This is it,' I remember thinking. 'I am going to have to divorce him now,' " Terakawa recalled. "It was bad enough that I had to wait on him when he came home from work. But having him around the house all the time was more than I could possibly bear."

Concerned about her financial future if she divorced, Terakawa stuck with their marriage -- only to become one of an extraordinary number of elderly Japanese women stricken with a disorder that experts here have recently begun diagnosing as retired husband syndrome, or RHS.

snip...
After several months, she developed stomach ulcers, her speech began to slur and rashes broke out around her eyes. When doctors discovered polyps in her throat but could find no medical reason for her sudden burst of ailments, she was referred to a psychiatrist who diagnosed stress-related RHS.

more...
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/10/18/MNGD9FA2VN1.DTL


Very interesting article.

[xultar]

1. My mom has that shit right now. Though she doesn't wait on my dad

but him being @ home more has impacted their relationship in a negative manner for damn sure.

I think the best way to deal with RHS is to not get EFFIN MARRIED.

[OzarkDem]

2. Common problem in the US, too

I've known a lot of people who have struggled with it. A smart wife will make sure she sets down some new rules for hubby - wait on yourself, do your own dishes, get a hobby, etc.

[MuseRider]

3. I have the answer.

My husband retired 3 years ago. You just smile and walk right out the damned door. Eventually he either asks why you did not have breakfast waiting when he got up and then you kick his ass or he finally begins to get it and it all works out. Thankfully my husband got it. I was not looking forward to having to kick his ass.

[JitterbugPerfume]

4. After eight years of widowhood

I will never marry again NO WAY