Coping with someone who is depressed

Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. If someone you love has depression, you may wonder how you can help. You may even experience a range of difficult feelings of your own, such as worry, disappointment, and anger.

If you live with someone who is depressed and see their day-to-day life, you may be confused and even afraid at times. And if you have never been depressed yourself, you might have a hard time imagining what it feels like. You may not know much about the causes of depression , how it's diagnosed , or what treatment options are available. There are many steps you can take to educate yourself about your loved one's experience with depression, but you also need to take care of your own mental health and well-being.

Below are 10 things you can do to help someone you love who has depression. While every person's experience with depression is unique as is the experience of supporting someone who is depressed here are a few ideas to start with. You won't be able to support someone else if you are feeling overwhelmed and depleted yourself. Periodically take some time to step back from the situation and recharge your batteries.

While you can't "catch" depression the way you would a cold or the flu, the shared genetic and environmental influences may make it more likely that people who live together or are members of the same family will become depressed. Depression can be demanding both for the person experiencing it and those who care about them.

Remember that your feelings are a valid response to what can be, at times, a challenging situation to navigate. You may find it helpful to find a caretaker support group, talk with a close friend, or see a counselor.

The important thing is to vent your frustrations rather than allowing them to build up. There are trusted resources on the internet that provide facts about depression , including symptoms and treatment. Reading up on what depression can feel like as well as the myths, misconceptions, and stigma around mental illness , can help you better understand your loved one's experience.

You should also learn about the other aspects of living with depression, such as informed consent and the legal rights of people seeking treatment. Just like when a person has any other illness, they may simply not feel well enough to take care of paying the bills or cleaning the house. And, just like with any other illness, you may have to temporarily take over some of their daily chores until they feel well enough to do them again.

Treatment is vitally important to a person's recovery from depression. You can help your loved one by helping them keep up with taking their medication and remembering appointments. You can also help them by reassuring them that asking for help is not a sign or weakness or something to be ashamed of. Offer them hope by reminding them of their reasons to keep living, whatever they may be.

Perhaps it's their children, a beloved pet who needs them, or their faith. These reasons, which will be unique to the individual, can help them hold on a bit longer until the pain subsides. Depression can make a person feel like a burden and unworthy of love and support.

Proactively counteract those thoughts by telling and showing your partner that you love them. Let them know that you understand that depression is affecting their thoughts, feelings, and behavior and that you still love them.

Reassure them that you are here to support them in their journey to get better. Everything feels more challenging when you're dealing with depression. Get our free guide when you sign up for our newsletter. Dean J, Keshavan M. The neurobiology of depression: An integrated view. Asian J Psychiatr. Grohol JM. Top 10 Signs of Depression. Psych Central. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellMind. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.

These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. Offer to help them create a safety plan to use if they think they might act on those thoughts. Wondering what to say to someone with depression? Express your concern, listen, but avoid giving advice. Individuals with depression need to know….

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How to Help Someone with Depression. This may be reading your favourite book, listening to some music or having a hot bath. Living with someone with depression can also feel lonely at times. Arrange to meet them for a coffee to get out of the house, or even just pick up the phone to give them a quick call. While there are lots of things you can do to help when living with someone with depression, this condition can become gradually worse over time and often needs expert treatment.

As an initial step, you could make a GP appointment on behalf of the person and then offer to attend it with them for moral support. This will give them the chance to get things off their chest with a medical professional, and their GP may be able to refer them for specialist mental health treatment.

At Priory, we provide expert depression treatment at our hospitals and wellbeing centres , including outpatient therapy, day care or residential stays if needed.