Mooncat, you are in a difficult spot, and your closest friend (your boyfriend) has issued you an ultimatum (get better or else we're through). I like the way you gave him credit for being supportive. This shows that you are able to see good in other people which is a great thing.

If you can get counseling, try to do sessions where he is present. The therapist may be able to help him understand what you are going through and how he can help.

Your mom's sudden death sounds like it was a traumatic experience for you. Try to find a grief group to get in to.

I lost a girlfriend a while back. I thought we were going to end up getting married and she ended up running off with some other dude.

It was a horrible experience, but I'm better off for it today. Stronger and more independent. All in all, I'm a much better man, and I'm not angry with her anymore.

I remember some of the unbelievably horrible feelings I experienced after she betrayed me and ended our relationship, but those feelings did, go away.

What I'm saying is, I hope things work out with your bf, but if they don't, it could end up being a blessing in disguise.

One of the things depressed people tend to fail at, is looking after and maintaining their own self-esteem. An unhealthy relationship can form when a depressed person finds someone to look out for their sense of self-esteem/self-worth for them, (I know this from my own experience).

When we're unable to maintain our own sense of self-esteem/self-worth, and we rely on someone else to do it for us, then we lose a lot of power and autonomy in life whilst simultaneously placing an ongoing burden on the shoulders of our significant other. Our bf/gf, husband/wife may be able to help shoulder this burden for a year or two, or maybe three or four or five, but there usually comes a point when they begin to resent the burden and want to be free of it.

I believe this is what your boyfriend is experiencing. He's at the end of his rope and I believe he is probably using the 1 week warning in an act of desperation. Men do not like feeling unable fix things or create outcomes that they desire. It makes us feel weak, impotent and powerless, and these are some of the worst feelings for a man to experience. We want to feel strong, capable and powerful.

To your bf, your depression and sadness are problems that he wants to fix. Now that he sees that he is unable to fix them, he's confronted with the possibility of staying with a sad woman that he cannot help. The sadness is not fun to be around, and the feeling of powerless is absolutely awful for a man to experience. He wants to help you, and he can't so he feels powerless, and like any man, he hates feeling that way.

The key here is for you to find closure about the loss of your mom, learn to experience joy every day and take responsibility for maintaining your own sense of self-esteem and self worth. If you can do those things, I believe all sorts of things will start to turn around for you.