how do you help someone who seems to always be depressed?
99431
just be there for her and make sure she knows she is not alone she needs to see good in herself and a good friend usually can help i used to be that way untill i found a few really good friends that showed me i belong and i was important i fit in and from then on there was no stopping me of course i still see alot i don't like about myself but i see alot i do like now too your boyfriend should apriciate the fact that you want to help his sis besides if things get real serious in your relatinship it is good to be friends with his family just talk to your boyfriend and don't blow him off but he should understand somtimes a girls night out is what is needed be honest and open all of this could bring you closer together
4603
I was a person who refused for a long time to see the symptoms of my own depression, because I thought it meant that there was something "wrong" with me.  Eventually, I read a magazine article that listed common symptoms, and realized I had most of them.  That was a big wake-up call.  Talking to other people who had been through the same thing helped me a lot.  If you can get your relative in touch with anyone you know who has been through it, it will be more effective than nagging.  (Not suggesting you are a nag.)\nDefinitely educate yourself about symptoms, treatment, etc.  Just the fact that you are asking is great, because it shows concern.  Make sure that your relative is aware that you love him/her and just want to help.  Support is the greatest med.
1071264
Past medication, I am going to recite here what I found in Kathy Cronkite's book regarding depression: Liz Carpenter, former White House press secretary uses these techniques to keep "the wolves" at bay..........\n1. Do something for someone-a child, a friend, a mate. 2. Do something for yourself-a new hairdo, a new dress, a massage. 3. Do something for your home-garden, plant a tree, clean a drawer or closet while listening to music. 4. Have eight people to dinner with your good china and best recipes. 5. Take three upbeat friends to lunch. 6. PLan a vacation. 7. Exercise-swim, dance, jog, walk. 8. Volunteer to work in a soup line. 9. Follow the AA formula of HALT-take positive steps to avoid being Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. 10. Confess your depression to a sensible friend or physician. 11. Join something-a cooking club, tennis club, church or all three. 12. Sing-even if you think you can't. \n\nKathy Cronkite wrote "On the Edge of Darkness", Conversations About Conquering Depression". Buy it. I sent it to my Aunt and never thought I'd need it for myself. It helped me immensely along with my doctor and his kindness in understanding. I have a prescription now, whereas, all I wanted to do was just lay down and die. God Bless.
127539
IT'S VERY EASY FOR SOMEONE TO TELL YOU TO LIVE YOUR LIFE AND WATCH MOVIES TO MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER. THE TRUTH IS WHEN SOMEONE TELLS YOU THAT, THEY DON'T CARE AND DON'T WANT TO BE BOTHERED WITH YOUR SITUATION. IT'S REALLY HARD TO SAY HOW TO GET OVER DEPRESSION,BECAUSE ITS LIKE CANCER VERY DEADLY.MY BEST ANSWER TO YOU IS, TALK TO GOD AND BELIEVE IN HIM THAT HE WILL HELP YOU. NOTHING NOR NO-ONE IS TOO MUCH OR POWERFUL FOR HIM.GOD CAN HEAL ALL THINGS,ALONG WITH DEPRESSION. ASK HIM TO LIFT THAT FROM YOUR BODY,MIND,AND SOUL,AND YOU WILL BE HEALED. TRUST HIM AND ONLY HIM AND HE WILL MAKE A WAY.
245103
There is a lot of help available for depression.  Depending on your condition, a doctor or psychiatrist can prescribe medication that can correct potential chemical imbalances that can cause depression.  Therapy sessions with a psychiatrist, psycholgist or other counselor can help you come to terms with how and why you feel the way you do.  There are also a wide variety of support groups and "help lines" that can provide both encouragement and (usually) free advice.\n\nInvestigate the possibilites in your community, and talk to someone about how you feel.  It's the only way to start feeling more like yourself again.
548055
Maybe just try talking to her first and see if she'll let you know what's going on, and if she's really depressed, maybe suggest your friend to talk to a psychologist...someone who will LISTEN and not JUDGE them for anything they say.  That could help them get to the root of some of the feelings they're having.  Good luck and I hope for the best for your friend! =)
209174
Depressive disorders make one feel exhausted, worthless, helpless, and hopeless. Such negative thoughts and feelings make some people feel like giving up. It is important to realize that these negative views are part of the depression and typically do not accurately reflect the situation. Negative thinking fades as treatment begins to take effect. In the meantime: \nSet realistic goals and assume a reasonable amount of responsibility. \nBreak large tasks into small ones, set some priorities, and do what you can as you can.\nTry to be with other people and to confide in someone; it is usually better than being alone and secretive.\nParticipate in activities that may make you feel better.\nMild exercise, going to a movie, a ballgame, or participating in religious, social, or other activities may help. \nExpect your mood to improve gradually, not immediately. Feeling better takes time. \nIt is advisable to postpone important decisions until the depression has lifted. Before deciding to make a significant transition--change jobs, get married or divorced--discuss it with others who know you well and have a more objective view of your situation. \nPeople rarely "snap out of" a depression. But they can feel a little better day by day.\nRemember, positive thinking will replace the negative thinking that is part of the depression and will disappear as your depression responds to treatment.\nLet your family and friends help you. \n\nSelf help for depression\n\nEffective therapy needs to incorporate everything that works in lifting depression. You may be able to help yourself effectively, although often it is useful to get the help of a professional.\n\nHere we'll go through what you can do, as well as what you should look for in any therapy you choose to undergo.\nWhat you can do to help yourself\n\n1) Know about your condition - what you know about your depression has been shown to have an effect on well you respond to treatment. Take the Depression Learning Path - it's the best way to start helping yourself.\n\n2) Cut down on rumination. Do whatever you can to decrease the amount of rumination you are doing. (Ruminating is 'chewing over' emotional issues in your mind without coming to any decision to act.)\n\nIf possible, decide to put off difficult decisions for 1 or 2 weeks while you get your energy back.\n\nWays to cut down rumination are to:\n\na) Stop yourself when you spot yourself doing 'all or nothing' thinking. (See thinking styles)\nb) Read novels when you have nothing to do, to occupy your mind. (Make them exciting novels, not romance or self help books!)\nc) Do exercise (see 5)\nd) Work if you can\ne) Keep yourself occupied as much as possible in ways that stop you thinking too much!\n\n3) Find ways to assess and monitor your depressive episodes - The way depression makes us adopt all or nothing thinking is a unique and crucial part of understanding depression. The way depression makes us generate seemingly hopeless outcomes to our situation can make it almost impossible to see a way out of it. \n\nFinding ways to gauge your depression can help to show the shades of gray, that will ultimately defeat the black and white thinking on which depression thrives. This is often done in the form of a diary, where you grade how bad your days have been on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is the worst and 10 is the best. Then, after 2 weeks or so, you can look back and see how things have varied over that time. \n\n4) Lower your emotional arousal levels calming down emotions such as anxiety and anger helps your brain function more subtly and decreases the amount of catastrophising you do. Along with getting proper rest, being able to relax is incredibly important.\n\nRelaxation therapies are effective in overcoming some of the other issues that can co-occur with depression. The effects of panic attacks, anxiety and anger, etc can be lessened and overcome with the ability to relax properly and deeply. Physi
1043760
surround yourself with positive thoughts. set simple daily goals that you can achieve. stick to a routine as much as possible. give yourself a compliment at least twice a day. write things down in a planner or journal to help you stay focused. and if all else fails... seek professional help. depression is nothing to play around with. sometimes we need outside help and that's okay.
653599
have them imagine that they need help/assistance and what having other help them feels like.  Then have them imagine the same scenario w/o anyone to help them.  Then tell them that they can fill those voids and be that person that's there to help.  Tell them that there are tons of different ways they can help.  They can be on the front line or behind the scenes. They can help out animals or humans.
888207
The time for help is when you recognize that there is a problem.  Get him into treatment now.  Keep in mind that it sometimes takes a few tries to find the right psychiatrist and therapist.  It took me 4 tries to find the right one.  Also, since he has had the depression for so long, make sure he has a complete physical and is checked for everything that could cause the depression.  Some physical causes are underactive thyroid or vitamin deficiency (particularly Vitamin B).  There are others that his doctor should know about.  Counseling alone will probably not help your son since his depression does not appear to be situational.
26516
Get moderate exercise and plenty of sunshine.\n\nA walk first thing in the morning is likely to help!\n\nIf you feel depressed for longer than a couple weeks, you should see a doctor or therapist.  Talk therapy and the right medicine are best for depression.\n\nSome nonpharmacologic methods of treating depression include psychotherapy, exercise, support groups, self-help literature, and light therapy. Patients shouldn't undergo nonpharmacologic therapies unsupervised or for prolonged periods because longer periods of depression are more resistant to treatment and 70% to 80% of patients respond to an adequate trial of pharmacologic therapy.7,12,16,17
331648
try to talk to him about him \ntalk to him about hisself and his day what are his problems \nthe only way that u can tell him that u r there for him is that to show that you care about him, no matter how far you are ,, make him feel that u know everything abut him and u help him make his life happy
53690
Just be honest with him and talk about your symptoms and /or feelings that you think are creating your depression.  I wouldn't go as far as leaning on him to help "cure" you, but hopefully he will be there for you while you take that on yourself.  If you are unable to conquer this on your own, please seek some outside professional help.
924045
That person has depression.  There are medications that person can take.  Have that person see a doctor.
869695
Here are some tips for self-help treatment to reduce depression. \n\n"GET OUT OF BED: \n\nOne of the most important things you can do is get up at about the same time every morning (even week-ends). Preferably, that means about 7 a.m. or earlier. You might not feel like it but Get Up. Such regularity helps your body function more normally so you're more likely to feel normal. \n\nLIGHTS: \n\nLight helps your body function better. So turn on a lot of lights as soon as you arise. Open curtains to get more sunlight. Better yet, go outdoors into the sunshine as soon as you can. Remove any eyewear so light will enter more readily (glass cuts out some of the sun's rays). But don't stare at the sun, of course. \n\nMOVE: \n\nBe active right away -- oxygenate! That means getting up and walking around your dwelling for five or 10 minutes, or perhaps riding an exercycle. Mild exercise gets the blood flowing and transports more oxygen throughout your body (especially to your brain), helping you feel mentally alert and alive. \n\nMUSIC: \n\nSelect and play some energetic, happy music as you dress and have your breakfast. The audiovisual department of most libraries has albums and tapes you can check out. \n  \n\nBREAKFAST: \n\nBegin your breakfast with protein (i.e., meat, eggs, peanut butter, nuts, cheese). When you get up, your body chemistry is ready to convert food, especially protein,into longlasting energy. To balance your most important meal of the day, add an orange or other fresh fruit and whole grain cereal or whole grain bread. \n\nTALK WITH SOMEONE: \n\nOne of the quickest ways to beat the blues is to interact with others. You might not feel like doing that - you'd rather avoid people when blue. So make lt easier on yourself. Talk with someone you enjoy about a subject you enjoy so there is definite give and take. \n\nAnd, force yourself to say "hello" to the persons next to you in class, those where you live, anyone around. \n\nLIMIT CAFFEINE: \n\nThe long-term (four hours or so) effects of caffeine are depression. Try to limit coffee to no more than one cup in the morning. Coffee can make you more alert for an hour or so, but later you get an opposite reaction. Caffeine tends to increase the release of insulin in the blood, and insulin lowers the blood sugar level. When you have low blood sugar levels, you begin to feel less sure of yourself, and have low energy levels, which can lead to the blues or depression. \n\nLIMIT SUGAR: \n\nSugar might give you an initial rush of energy, but within an hour or so the blood sugar level can become low, and when it's low you may feel low, too. \n\nThe caffeine/sugar cycle. It's easy to get caught in the caffeine and sugar cycle -- having coffee, caffeinated soft drinks, or something with sugar every two hours or so to "stay up." For example, cola contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar plus caffeine equal to about half a cup of coffee. In addition to bringing on the blues, this cycle can result in dependence, poor nutrition. and obesity -- reasons to get down on yourself even more and feel blue. \n\nMAINTAIN FIBER: \n\nFiber helps food go through your digestive system at a proper rate, giving a more constant energy supply. Highly processed foods merely provide a quick surge of energy which can be followed by depression. You can maintain fiber in your diet by eating an orange or grapefruit rather than just drinking the juice. Eat fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, and whole grain breads and cereals. \n\nSTRESS B COMPLEX: \n\nSome persons report receiving help by taking a concentrated vitamin B complex. You'll find these called something like "Stress B" or "B 50." This is controversial. \nSome nutritionists say, "Yes, this really should be considered," and others say, "No, this is not a good Idea." You can try some and decide whether or not it helps you. If it does help, then perhaps you should consult a
770125
you can't stop her being depressed, but you can be there for her.  be patient.  its possible she will always be like this but without you she could be worse.  try and encourage her to have fun with you but if she doesn't want to go out suggest you go round to hers. she needs people like you in her life that care about her.  good luck :)
108026
many people find themselves depressed and fed up and some point during their lives.\n\nin some cases these feelings blow over in a few days; in others they can linger and make it difficult to function.\n\nthere are a number of things which may be helpful- you have asked us "what do it do?" and you may wish to dirrect that question at yourself in the form of "what do i want to do? how do i want to respond to my depression in ways that i'm not doing right now?" \n\nthere are many ways to approach depression positively. take up meaningful work or volunteer work, speak with a counselor, focus on your goals and positive assets as methods of healing... only you have the greatest insight into your personal situation, both inner and outer.\n\nwork with what you feel and what you would like to feel. look at avenues for change and growth (relationships, counseling, opportunities for enjoyment) and trust your heart.