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Depression - What You Can Do

What You Can Do To Help Someone You Care About Recover From Depression

Support from family and friends can have a big and positive influence throughout a depression sufferer's treatment and recovery. Seeing someone you care about in pain is always difficult, and being with someone who is depressed can make you feel stressed and confused as you try to figure out how you can best help them. The National Institute of Mental Health offers the following suggestions for how family and friends can help a loved one recover from depression:

  • If they have not yet sought out professional help, encourage them to make an appointment with a doctor or therapist
  • For even further support, offer to go along with them to their doctor and therapy appointments
  • Encourage them to stick with the treatment plan prescribed by the therapist, including keeping scheduled therapy appointments and taking prescribed medication
  • Give emotional support by listening carefully and offering hope
  • Invite them to join you in activities you know he or she used to enjoy (please keep in mind that expecting too much too soon can lead to feelings of failure)
  • Do not accuse them of faking illness or expect them to "snap out of it."
  • Take comments about suicide very seriously and seek professional advice.
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