Table of contents:
Depression How To Help Someone – In the previous article I went over 15 sentences that should not be used while talking to depressed people. These phrases are commonly used and quite unhelpful. If you haven’t read this article, I recommend going through it after this article. Here, we will look at how to talk to a depressed friend. You’ll see that the guidelines aren’t just for helping depression, but can also be used to up your communication game.
Before we get to the 30 sentences, I’ll cover some general intentions that people should have when communicating with people who are experiencing a mood disorder or depressive episode.
Depression How To Help Someone
It is not a treatment manual or clinical care. This is a guide to what non-professionals can do to help their depressed friends. Let us assume that you are open to talking to depressed people first. Then, let me assume you want to help them in any way you can.
How To Help Someone Who Is Depressed
Depression is a prolonged state of physical and mental depression. Sleeping and eating habits change. There is a lack of motivation in many aspects of life. Looking at the world in a less positive way than objectivity justifies. There is a rigid way of thinking that harms a person’s well-being. It is not sadness or sorrow. It is not a passing mood. It’s not something you can change on a whim.
To treat depression, you have to actively work on your mental, social, professional and physical health. Guidelines for helping a depressed friend/person:
1. Listening: One of the main problems that people with depression face is that they try to reach people and feel that others do not understand what they are going through. So my first recommendation is just listen. The listening comes in two parts:
It is important to focus on long listening. Hearing a statement and then reacting immediately is not listening. Let them talk and see that within a few sentences they paint a picture for you. The very act of them talking and you listening helps them.
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2. Empathy: Empathy is the ability to share the thoughts and feelings of another person. It is up to you to think and reflect on their point of view. Try to understand their situation as they see it. It goes hand in hand with listening. When you listen and then respond, let your response be empathetic. Use sentences that express what they feel, think and experience.
*Empathy is different from sympathy – sympathy is feeling sorry for someone else. Empathy is understanding and feeling what someone else shares with you.
3. Extending Help: Let’s start with a hard truth. Not everyone is able to provide useful, practical and professional help. What do you do when you’re not a mental health professional?
Just the idea of offering support, in the abstract, can also be useful. It’s the intent of what you’re suggesting that matters. At the end of this article, I have listed sources for offering help.
Tips For Supporting A Friend With Depression: Best Strategies & Resources
4. Being there: Being there for someone involves providing active support and a strong statement of empathy, acceptance and understanding. Although it is not always easy to reach out for professional help, the promise of being there is enough on many occasions. Since you are ‘there for them’, leave judgment of any kind aside. Let them know you can count on them.
5. Honesty and Acceptance: Honesty (and honesty) is needed in how you can be there for someone. False promises to be there are destructive. Imagine, you declare that you are there for the person. Your depressed friend already has feelings of abandonment and feels somewhat secure knowing that you are there for him. But, you fail to do so. This reinforces the feelings of abandonment. Be welcoming and let them not feel isolated from everything.
Acceptance is a direct acceptance of what the person was before the depression, how he is during the depression, and how he wants to be after he overcomes the depression. Accept them (and their voices) without judgment.
6. Alternative points of view: It’s complicated. You have been warned. Do it carefully. Depression changes the way people think and they often evaluate the world in negative rather than positive ways that damage their self-esteem and self-concept.
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So what do alternative perspectives offer? When a depressed person tells you about his experiences and explains his perspective on it, you may notice that he sees things in a negative light. You may be right. However, this is how the depressed person sees it. From their point of view, it is not wrong.
What you can do is offer an alternative, positive perspective on the same event. Maybe how you see it, maybe a third person perspective, maybe just reframing their experience in a less negative light. Think about the story objectively without making it seem like they are discounting their point of view. If you still want to help them with advice, I suggest talking about these 8 strategies
The above link is not curative. These strategies make your life conducive to happiness, which is useful regardless of depression.
That concludes the practical guide. We discussed the intentions and principles behind constructive talking with a depressed person and covered 30 sentences to help you achieve this.
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Come on, now you know how to help a friend with depression – with a little listening power and empathy! Accept them, lend a helping hand, and offer a way to appreciate the world constructively! It won’t be hard now.
So are you now confident about talking to a depressed friend? They will surely be happy to host you!
Hey! Thanks for reading; Hope you enjoyed the article. I run Cognition Today to paint a holistic picture of psychology. My content here is mentioned and featured in NY Times, Forbes, CNET, Entrepreneur, Lifehacker, 10-15 books, academic courses and research articles.
I’m a full-time psychology blogger, a part-time edtech and cyber consultant, a guitar coach and also an impersonator overtime. I studied at NIMHANS Bangalore (Positive Psychology), Savitribai Paul University Pune (Clinical Psychology), and IIM Ahmedabad (Marketing Psychology).
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I am based in Pune, India. Loves science fiction, horror media; likes rock, metal, synthwave and pop music; cannot whistle; Can play 2 guitars at the same time.
Shukla, A. (2017). How to help a friend with depression (guide and examples) Cognition today. Retrieved from https:///how-to-help-a-friend-with-depression-guide-and-examples/.
Shukla, A. (2017). How to help a friend with depression (guide and examples) [online]. Available at: https:///how-to-help-a-friend-with-depression-guide-and-examples/ [Accessed 5 October 2017].
The previous 15 things not to say to depressed people… and why you shouldn’t tell them 5 scientific research techniques: interlacing, spaced repetition, retrieval practice, metacognition, chunking.
How To Help Someone With Depression: 13 Ways To Support A Loved One
Your skill level and task difficulty give you 8 job moods. You’re Googled Wrong Start Searching Smarter Write 9X Better With These 9 Psychological Hooks Why Social Media Affects Mental Health: Clues From 40 Studies Why Do Accidents Happen in Slow Motion? What is your intelligence type? 8 types mapped to skills Very high intelligence has some disadvantages Develop a “value system” for life and relationships Unleash your energy boosters: do simple behaviors first Unleash your brain: tap hidden memory biases With depression, you may experience a sense of helplessness and feel as if You don’t know where to turn, or what to do for the best. However, the support of friends and family can play a very important role in helping someone recover from depression.
It is important to understand that your loved one cannot help how they feel and it is not their fault. Treating your loved one with compassion and understanding is incredibly important.
Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for depression and your loved one can’t just ‘go in’. It will take small steps for them to recover, and what works for one person may not necessarily work for another.
When you suffer from depression, the thought of getting out of bed and going through the motions of daily life can be exhausting. However, this does not mean that your loved one lacks the motivation to improve. Allow them to go at their own pace and comfort level, and support them where you can.
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Your job here is not to ‘fix’ your loved one’s depression. In most cases, professional treatment from highly qualified people is required to overcome depression. The best thing you can do is be as supportive, compassionate and patient as possible. If your loved one is open to this, you can suggest ways to help motivate them when they are depressed and this can be something you both enjoy doing.
Priory therapist Niamh Maguire looks at everything you need to know about depression, from the symptoms and causes to the most effective treatments.
If you’ve recognized the signs and symptoms of depression in someone close to you, it can be very helpful to have an open and honest conversation about it so you can begin to develop an understanding of what they’re going through and put them at ease. that they are not alone.
The best time to bring up this topic with your loved one is in a situation and location where you know they feel comfortable and relaxed, and where you won’t be disturbed. Car journeys are a good example, or maybe when you’re in a quiet local coffee shop.
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It is important that you start the conversation
