There is a world of difference between feeling blue, like kind of having a sad day, or real true depression. Depression to me is when you feel like there is no hope that your situaltion will ever change, a complete feeling of hopelessness. Your life is totally out of your control. You can no longer cope. That is when you need professional help but many times that is already too late to help you.
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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.
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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
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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.”
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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.
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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.)
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