I have a friend that is suffering from depression???

i have never had a problem with depression and feel like there should be something i can say or do that would help her. she is recently on meds and going to see a therapist in a couple of weeks. how do i help her? i listen but i don't know how to respond??? i had a friend who committed suicide several years back, so i know how real it is, and i want my friend dealing with this to be able to come out of it. any suggestions??

thanks for your answers. to clear up a bit - she is depressed for a lot of reasons, i think. i haven't been able to get a clear picture of what all is wrong, though. she just always says everything feels like its no point.
but she is going swimming with me tomorrow, so maybe that's good? thanks again!

hi...how sweet of you to ask this question. it shows that you really care for your friend!!! i hope this article might help you :)

How to Help Someone Who is Depressed

Depression is a mental illness, but it doesn鈥檛 just affect a person鈥檚 mind. It affects their body, their work, and their relationships with family members and friends. If you are close to a person suffering from depression, you probably know that something鈥檚 wrong but aren鈥檛 sure what to do about it. Depression is complicated to diagnose and treat, so only a qualified health care provider can do that. But there are some common symptoms that you can look for. If someone you know is experiencing five or more of the following signs, for more than 2 weeks, then that person could be suffering from depression:

* Persistently dull, grey or empty mood
* Feelings of worthlessness, helplessness, hopelessness, or pessimism
* Loss of interest or pleasure in previously enjoyable activities or hobbies
* Sleep disturbances or oversleeping
* Feeling tired all the time, even if getting adequate sleep
* Unexplained appetite and/or weight fluctuations
* Thoughts or talk of self-injury, suicide or death
* Self-injury or suicide attempts
* Restlessness, irritability, nervousness, and edginess
* Difficulty concentrating, remembering things, or making decisions
* Physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, backaches, and neck tension

If someone you know has confided in you that they may be depressed, or if you have a strong suspicion that they may be, here are some ways you can help.

* Educate yourself. The more you know about depression the better you鈥檒l be able to help someone who has it. But don鈥檛 play doctor. There are a host of other illnesses that could masquerade as depressive symptoms. There are also many types of depression, and only a qualified professional can diagnose and treat it. Nothing you can say will make depression go away, but you may be able to convince a friend or family member to get help.

* Educate her. Tell her what you鈥檝e learned and why you think she should pursue diagnosis and, if necessary, treatment. Explain that depression is not her fault, that it doesn鈥檛 just go away, and that treatment is often highly effective.

* Encourage him to get help. Suggest and encourage that he gets help, but don鈥檛 force it. Forcing the issue may cause him to either resist completely, or to go just so that you to stop pressuring him (which won't be very helpful). The only exception to this rule is if you think this person is in danger of hurting himself or someone else. Depression is one of the leading causes of suicide. Any and all signs of suicide should be taken extremely seriously and acted upon immediately.

* Provide practical support. Offer her help by finding a therapist, driving her to therapy, babysitting while she's there, or providing some financial support if she can't afford treatment. Enable her to get help, but don鈥檛 enable her depression (by taking over her responsibilities while she's not actively seeking treatment).

* Offer moral support. Be a listening ear when he needs to talk, calling and checking up on him regularly. Just getting it off of his chest is part of the recovery process. People suffering from depression often try to isolate themselves, causing them to sink further into their disease, but being involved and concerned can prevent that.

* Exercise with her. Exercise can often help improve depression symptoms, although it is not a substitute for treatment.

* Be a good example. Remember to take care of yourself by eating right, exercising, handling stress, and trying to live a balanced life. This is always important鈥攅specially if the depressed person in your life is your spouse or significant other. Try not to let his illness make you sick too.

After your loved one has taken the steps to begin treatment, there is still a long road ahead. There are many things you can do to support his or her journey to recovery.

* Remember that you cannot cure his depression, and there is no quick fix. All you can do is support him in this very personal process. Take care of yourself, and keep a positive attitude.

* Expect ups and downs. Recovery can be a rollercoaster: when things are good, enjoy them, but keep in mind that recovery may not be complete yet; when things are bad, look forward to better days, and don鈥檛 be critical, as this only slows down the recovery process.

* Unless you鈥檝e gone though it, don鈥檛 tell her that you 鈥渦nderstand.鈥?Opt for sincerity instead, making statements like, 鈥淚鈥檝e never been through this myself, but I can only imagine that this must be an extremely difficult thing to go through鈥?

* Keep in mind that, although you may be suffering indirectly because this person's depression is affecting you, it is not your affliction. Be grateful for this fact, and remind yourself not to take the things that he says or does personally.

* Brace for a change. Depression may have cloaked the true self of your loved one for so long that you may not feel like you know him again until therapy and/or medication takes effect.

Depression treatment has a high success rate, especially if research-backed protocols are followed. Assure your friend or loved one that she certainly is not hopeless, and a better day is probably right around the corner if she gets some help. And remember that once that day is here, the relationship that the two of you share will be better than ever.

You are a good friend for being concerned but you can't help your friend. It will take a month or so for the medication to take effect and talking to a therapist will be the best for her. If you don't understand depression, you will eventually get disgusted with her crying and complaining. If she is truly depressed she will not want to leave the house, so go visit, sit silently watching a movie... just be there but don't try to give advice or even try to understand because you can't. Depression is a terrible mental illness and the best you can do is make sure she takes her meds and sees her therapist.

Just be there for her. Be a friend and listen to her. Being a friend is all you can do and what's best anyways. I hope she can get through this and you need to show her that life can be beautiful and that everything will be okay. Some people suffer from depression worse than others, whether it's mild or severe, it's never fun and always hard. It affects us all even if we aren't depressed ourselves. Tell her that you are always there for her and I don't know what your/her religious views are but praying and knowing that God is there can help.

All she needs is someone to talk too. I had depression once and I just felt it was because I didnt have alot of options to choose from, but when I expanded those options it just changed everything. Just talk to her, and whether your feeling what she's feeling or not just act like you know what shes feeling. She probably just feels alone, and believe it or not even the happiest of people go through it eventually. Just keep that communication line between you and her stable, never ditch her for other people, and be a good friend. All she need is someone to talk to.

Tell your friend she is doing great by starting medication and seeking treatment. It takes approx. 2-3 weeks to feel the full effect of the medication. Assure your friend that things are going to get better soon. Listen to her and make time for her. Don't allow her to isolate herself too much. This leads to too much depressed thinking. You are a great friend and she is lucky to have you. You do not have to respond to what she says other than saying, "I hear you. I understand."

its real hard when you have depression there isn't much you can say to someone having it they have to get on meds and see the doctor and work it out but with meds it does help. i have it and even though friends try and reasure you its not what really helps you are going to think an do what you want and being alone is a good thing for someone on depression and that is what i gues sif you keep doing stuff with this friend and bring them out of the shell it does help for that moment. take care.

First hand experience battleing depression- I never wanted help. I wanted people to notice something was wrong, but I did not want them to help me.

You need to understand that your friends is most likely battleing a war in her mind. She feels she is losing and needs her space to moarn.

Make sure you let her know you are ALWAYS there for her WHENEVER she needs to talk, but do not push or pry to get her to open up. When she is ready, she will tell you what is wrong.

I am sorry to hear about your friend's suicide. I will pray for your circumstance.

God Bless (if you are religious)

ALWAYS say that you'll be there for her, and try giving her gifts or cheering her up by taking her out somewhere and actually seeing the world, and how much she'll miss out if she keeps on being mopey and depressed. xD
also try talking to her parents and close relatives, to find out what else you could do to help your friend, and just always be there for her. she needs a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen to, and a hand to guide her. (:
hope i helped! [x

the situation is unclear. depression due to loss of loved ones, job, business, or house? whatever is the case change staying with friends and kin to keep her company would be the best thing. listen to her litany of bitterness and miseries in life and talk talk to deviate her attention. crack jokes. go outdoors and keep her preoccupied. that's what i did because i don't want to go into drugs.

Stick with her! She needs a friend and most people walk away because they don't want to get depressed. Give them advice and just hang out with them. Make them happy and do what you used to do before she got depressed. Just stay happy and it'll rub off.
What me and my friend do when we feel depressed is dress up like pirates and make videos. We laugh and laugh and feel like friends and we have fun and forget why we were depressed.

You just need to let her know you understand, that you know it is hard, and that you know she isn't mental or crazy. She just needs to be reassured. Give her hugs. Give her genuine compliments. Do something special for her. Let her know you care. It is good you listen. Now, take it to the next level and try to understand through what you've experienced in your own life. You could pray to ask for help in understanding her. It always works, if you trust. Study the life of Jesus and see how he helped people.

Keep encouraging her to stay on her meds and see the therapist. In the meantime, just try and listen. You can't fix her -- you're not a professional. Just be there. If she ends up not seeing the shrink, then push her to do it. That's her only hope.

i will tell u,if u promise to help me, ok, it is simple, u can get her a diamond ring, it wont help, tell her u u will be there for her,and MAKE her talk about th problem,its the only way it is gonna go away,so have a good day

well dont try to fix her problems for her but be there for her and make sure she doesn't get the hieth ledger hug (combing ambien and alcohol together ) not a good idea. Also you are her friend for a reason so be you .

if it was a guy buy him an xbox 360 but for a girl hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm idk mabey try living life to the fullest

just be there for her and ask her to do things with you. sometimes it can be tough if they are constantly in bad moods but alienating them is worse. just go out and make sure you and your friend are having some good laughs and a good time.


I think the best thing you are doing is hanging out with her and making her feel better (you are trust me). The time that you spend with her will make her forget about her problems for a while. don't push her to open up if she's too uncomfortable to talk and never judge her on what she tells you when she does because she won't open up again after. you are a good friend to her and a strong person.