Have you felt trapped in a relationship with a sick spouse?

Some of us love our spouses, and when they get sick, we may not be happy that we have to care for them, but we are happy to care for them. But others have spouses who get sick, and then they seem to enjoy staying sick. Maybe they like the attention and service they get. Maybe they like the drugs. Slowly they turn into a dictator and their spouse gets smaller and smaller (metaphorically speaking).

Have you been in such a situation? How did it happen? Did you get out of it? How? What were your feelings about both your spouse and yourself while you were in this situation?

If you haven’t been in something specifically like this, maybe you could talk about something related or about other people you know who have been in similar situations.

On the advice side. If someone is trapped, why (psychologically) do you think they are trapped and what can they do about it (that is realistic given social pressure and guilt and low self-esteem)?