Health & Fit How to Help Someone With Depression
The Depression Symptom That Steals Parts of Who You Are
A woman explains why she believes anhedonia is the cruelest symptom of depression.
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How can I help someone with depression ? Depression is a serious but treatable disorder that affects millions of people, from young to old and from Pitch in when possible. Seemingly small tasks can be very hard for someone with depression to manage. Offer to help out with household responsibilities
Depression is an insidious, isolating disorder, which can sabotage relationships. And this can make not knowing how to help all the more confusing. According to Serani, the best thing you can do for someone with depression is to be there. “When I was struggling with my own depression , the most
Have you ever had a friend or family member struggle with depression, and you weren't sure how to help? Maybe you were afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing, in fear of making the person feel worse. Or maybe you just ignored it, hoping the person would get better on their own.

As a society, we're working to change the conversation surrounding mental health, including depression and suicide prevention. I'm encouraged by efforts of national organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health America to help reduce the stigma that surrounds mental illness.
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Girl with the Green Face, 1910, Alexej von Jawlensky. Photo: Alexej von Jawlensky/Wikimedia Commons. “I’ve started cutting my wrists,” my friend said on the phone one night. “I’m not eating. I don’t want to be alive.”.
Mental health difficulties are extremely common. Many estimates suggest as many as 1 in 4 people suffer from some type of mental health issue at some point in life. Chances are, you’ve either faced such struggles yourself, or you know someone who has.
As a psychiatrist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, I'd like to offer these six suggestions of what you can do when you encounter someone who is depressed:
- Listen.
- Ask.
- Love.
- Act.
- Link.
- Advocate.
Listen. The first important step is to simply listen. Listening encourages the person to open up more, so that they'll tell you about signs of depression and desperation. A major cause of suicide is depression.
Ask. Encourage more conversation by asking more, which further shows that you care enough to know more about their struggles and depression.
Specifically ask: "Are you thinking about killing yourself?" This is one of the most important questions because asking decreases (not increases) suicidal thoughts. Asking about the possibility of suicide may save the person's life.
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Depression can develop slowly. Someone who's depressed doesn't always realise or acknowledge that they're not feeling or behaving as they usually do. Often it's a partner, family member or carer who first realises that help 's needed. They may encourage their friend or relative to see their GP, or find
When someone you know and love is clinically depressed , you want to be there for that person. Still, keep in mind that your friend or loved one has a
Love. Listening and asking show that you care. Listening with compassion and empathy and without dismissing or judging reflects love. That feeling of being loved may help someone reach out for help.
Act. Keep the person safe. Ask if they know how they would commit suicide, and separate them from anything they could use to hurt themselves.
Work to put time and distance between the person and their chosen method, especially dangerous ones such as firearms and medications.
Stay with the person until the crisis passes or they're connected to resources that can help them.
Link. If you think they might be in immediate danger, call 911.
Link them to National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (or 1-800-273-8255).
Link them to mental health treatment, as treatment works. We know that treatment decreases depression and reduces suicide.
Link them to other people who can provide support. Research has also shown connectedness with others acts as a buffer against hopelessness and psychological pain.
10 Unexpected Signs That You're Struggling With Depression
It's characterized by much more than just sadness."Depression doesn’t always look like debilitating sadness," says Richard Kravitz, MD, MSPH, a professor of internal medicine at University of California, Davis, and an expert in identifying depression in primary-care settings. "Patients are reluctant to consider depression as a cause of their symptoms—in part because they may equate it with weakness, but also in part because they simply don’t associate those symptoms with depression.
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Knowing how to talk to someone living with depression can be a great way to support them. Depression is a medical condition. It’s not a flaw or weakness. If someone you love has depression , encourage them to seek professional help if they haven’t already done so.
People with major depression may become too depressed to take the initiative to seek help . Among the symptoms of depression are a negative outlook and a sense of hopelessness. These symptoms may make it difficult for a patient to envision getting better.
And remember to follow up after the immediate crisis passes, and repeat: Listen, Ask, Love, Act.
Advocate. Get informed and get involved. Start conversations to reduce the stigma.
Everyone can help raise awareness about the suicide epidemic. Did you know that each day, nearly 130 people in our country die by suicide? Equally important is raising awareness about suicide prevention.
Advocate for better access to mental health care. Advocate for more resources and treatments. Advocate for more funding for research to better understand and treat depression and suicide.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “help” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Gallery: I Hid My Depression for 9 Years; Here Are 5 Reasons I Wish I Hadn't (Provided by Insider)

Fathers should be screened for postpartum blues, too, researchers say .
Pediatricians should use well-child visits to screen mothers for postpartum depression, yet they hardly mention fathers. The guidance from these two respected organizations risks "being out of touch with contemporary American families," the authors write, in light of all the evidence emerging in recent decades showing the importance of fathers' mental health to the wellbeing of their children."Depression among new dads is a problem that too often gets overlooked," lead author Tova Walsh, an assistant professor of social work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Reuters Health.
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