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How To Help A Friend With Depression

How To Help A Friend With Depression



Whether or not you know, I struggled with depression, and I'm still dragging along a little, but I'm a lot better than I used to be. One of the only things that kept me going was other people. Specifically one person in general- my best friend. If it wasn't for her I would more than likely be dead by now. She never knew about my depression until a little while ago, and I think it's really hard for a person to go through depression all alone. So if you know someone who's depressed, I suggest to keep reading so you understand what you should and should not do.


For one, if a person you know tells them they're depressed- DO NOT TELL ANYONE. The worst possible thing to do would be tell someone. Believe it or not it took so much courage just for them to tell you, and if you tell someone else you know without their permission then they will probably lose all trust in you. Unless it's getting extremely serious. For example, if your friend is cutting themselves, or thinking about committing suicide, then you should definitely tell someone who you know could help.


Let us know that you need us. During my worst moments the only thing that kept me going was knowing that I had someone who needed me alive, someone who wanted me to live. It feels good to know that you're not just living for nothing, that there's someone out there who wants you to live.


How To Help A Friend With Depression


Depressed people probably won't admit it easily. I remember when I was depressed a lot of my friends asked me if I was depressed- except not the right way. If you think we're depressed DO NOT ask us in front of a ton of people. That's one of the most embarrassing things ever, and just makes us want to crawl under a hole. And honestly why would I tell you in front of a ton of people? If you want to know if I'm depressed ask me in private, and again don't tell anyone! To us depression is embarrassing, and we might not admit that we're depressed, even if you ask.


Don't abandon us! This should be pretty obvious, really. If you know we're depressed don't quit hanging out with us or treat us differently. Depression isn't just a feeling, it's an actual mental disorder, and should be treated just like any other disorder. Just because we're depressed doesn't mean that we don't like you or that we don't want to hang out. Abandoning us is actually one of the worst possible things you can do to a depressed person.


Let us know why you like us. We enjoy compliments to be quite honest. And I know a lot of times we'll just be like "Yeah, I guess." when you say them, but seriously those compliments are what get me through every night. Although it may not seem like it we really really appreciate those comments. And if there's something that they're insecure about, help them with that.


Offer to hang out with us. This isn't really a thing that I feel like I need to mention, but try to spend a lot of time with us. I know a lot of times some of my friends would never make plans to hang out with me, and that was one of the worst things. One way many people (including me) got rid of their depression was by distracting theirselves, and it's a lot easier to distract yourself while hanging out with friends instead of being alone.


Next, don't pry! I know that you're going to have the urge to ask us a lot of questions about it, but don't pry so much. We'll tell you everything we want you to know (most of the time). And just bugging for answers is going to make us want to hide it even more. And to be quite honest sometimes depressed people don't even know why they're depressed.


Anyways those were just a few things you could do if you know a friend who's depressed. If you are depressed don't be afraid to tell someone! Just be careful who you choose to tell. And if you're depressed feel free to message me if you ever just want someone to talk to! (Don't worry I don't judge). Anyways I hope this helped!

How To Help A Friend With Depression
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