How to Help Someone Who is Depressed

Sometimes a person doesn’t realize they are experiencing depression. The downslope can be so gradual or they may have had it for so long, they may just think, “This is my life. I’m not meant to be happy.” By all means, gently tell them you recognize that they are in need. I know. I’ve been there. Report

Depression can be such a horrible illness, many people who do not have it just don't understand it. Report

I am a Certified Peer Support and Wellness Specialist and this was the best how to help a friend with Depression Article I have read during the last 13 years working in mental health! This needs to be broadcasted all over the Internet! - Wenona Gardner CPSWS Report

A lot of this servile is total crap. That last thing a person wants to hear when they are depressed is “you need help. Get a diagnosis. Get therapy.” Report

Good article. Report

Good information. Report

I never thought of depression as a 'mental illness.' I think most people living have experienced some highs and some lows ….. empty nest syndrome left me feeling very sad and it took some time to get back on top again, but I do not think it was mental illness. Report

Thank you for a well-written article. Report

Have dealt with depression all my adult life, and then some. Mom had it, too, as did my only sib, several of my aunts/uncles/cousins/nieces, and my only nephew. I used to joke my family would have been so much better off with a Prozac salt lick in the kitchen. (It's a rancher joke.) Report

This article was written with care and compassion. Thank you! Report

This was a very informative article. I am someone who has battled major depression for 22 years I have heard more then once to just "take a walk" and "you control the way you think. Just be more positive and you won't need meds". Those words can hurt and make the negative feelings so much worse. I think this had some amazing tips on how to handle someone with depression. Support is the number one way to get someone that has depression to keep sharing and trusting in their support system. Report

I have dealt with depression. I'm a Christian and one of my favorite verses are in 2 Corinthians 1; Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. I can help others who are going through the same thing. Report

I was clinically depressed for years, and on various medications. When it threatened my marriage, I asked my family doctor for referral to a psychiatrist. Four weeks of assessment followed by a 12-week course of cognitive behavioural therapy gave me insights which I’d never had before. I will be on medication foe the rest of my life, but am happier, healthier and more productive than ever before.

If you are depressed, ask for professional help. There is no shame in hacing a mental illness, and there is lots of help available. Report

This is a great article.. I deal with depression on a daily basis and it can be very lonely Report

This was a really good article and gave lots of useful tips. Thank you for this well written article! Report