MHAM 3- Depression- How You Can Help

Depression is a very difficult experience. Imagine feeling your world imploding around you. It hurts. It bothers you. You feel like an outsider in your own life. You want to fix it, but the task looks unattainable and you don’t have the energy to take it on.

When you’re around people who are depressed it can be depressing. Watching someone you care about becoming more and more disconnected. You want to help but it almost seems that they are rejecting your efforts. It feels like whatever you do is just not enough. You wish they would just snap out of it so you can get back the person you love.

When someone is dealing with depression, it’s bigger then “just snapping out of it”. It may seem like an easy enough task, but it really is not. While it would be much easier to just leave them alone and let them figure it out,  Telling someone to snap out of it will probably make them feel worse. Instead:

Continue to make efforts to engage them in life affirming activities- these are the things that remind them that life is good and why they want to participate in it. They may not seem interested in doing the fun things, but they need it.

Help them make plans to address the issue that contributed to the onset of depression

Engage them in planning for the future- This gives them a reason to want to stick around and be part of life.

Provide opportunities for them to be see that they are valuable- engage them in helping

Reintroduce them to the things they once enjoyed

Keep them connected to important people in their lives- While the tendency in depression is to isolate others- and the average person may not want to be around a depressed person fearing their mood will bring them down too, having people around to work on bringing them out of the funk is very important.

Be patient- depression may not get resolved right away, so be patient and stay determined to be that help

Seek professional- Sometimes we need the help of a professional and that is why they exist. Do the research and find a qualified professional who can provide the needed help. When you do begin to see a professional, remember that the work you do goes beyond the office walls and that the skills you are learning need to be applied out in your life in order for them to truly be beneficial.

Remember- Help is always available… You just have to be willing to seek it out.

I’m just saying though…

Dream Big… Live Bigger…

DrJudiC