Help Someone With Depression

Depression isn’t talked about often, but about 7% of adults in the United States (nearly 16 million people) have shown signs of being depressed in the past year. If you know someone who shows signs of depression, here are four tips to help your friend or loved one: 1. Recognize symptoms. Common signs include lack of interest in things the person used to enjoy, problems with sleeping, showing feelings of hopelessness, and withdrawal from daily activities and conversations. 2. Listen. Do not deny what the person has to say. Instead, validate their feelings. Keep in mind that speech may be slow and less coherent, so be patient. 3. Encourage them to find help. You can provide support and listen to their concerns, but a trained professional should assist with long-term care. Offer to help find information for mental health resources or make an appointment, if necessary. 4. Enlist help from others. If they are resistant, talk to other important people in their lives (such as family, clergy, or healthcare professionals) to ensure they get the help they need. If your loved one may be suicidal, don’t assume the situation will simply pass. Let them know you take their feelings seriously, and offer to accompany them to the hospital. Call their doctor or your own for advice if you need help deciding what to do. If it’s an emergency, call 911; responders are trained to deal with mental health crises. You can call the National Suicide Prevention hotline 24 hours a day for help and information at 800-273-TALK. You can also chat online with someone at: http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/