| The most important thing anyone can do for | | | | healthy, is to be more healthy yourself. Be a |
| the depressed person is to help him or her | | | | good role model for your depressed friend or |
| get an appropriate diagnosis and treatment | | | | family member by living a positive, growing, |
| for depression. This may involve encouraging | | | | balanced life yourself. |
| the individual to stay with treatment until | | | | |
| the symptoms of depression begin to abate | | | | When helping someone who is depressed, don't |
| (several weeks), or to seek different | | | | expect the depressed person to overcome his |
| treatment if no improvement occurs. The very | | | | or her depression all by himself or herself. |
| nature of depression can interfere with a | | | | When depressed a person can't "pull himself |
| person's ability to get help. Depression saps | | | | or herself up by his or her boot straps." The |
| energy and self-esteem and makes a person | | | | depression relates to chemical changes which |
| feel tired, worthless, helpless, and | | | | have taken place in the brain. A person can't |
| hopeless. | | | | just change his or her brain chemistry back |
| | | | to normal. |
| Offer emotional support. This involves | | | | |
| understanding, patience, affection, and | | | | Depression and dual diagnosis affects the |
| encouragement. Engage the depressed person in | | | | whole family. There are many ranges of |
| conversation and listen carefully. Do not | | | | emotions from anger and fear to hopefulness |
| disparage feelings expressed, but point out | | | | and hopelessness. Having others that have |
| realities and offer hope. | | | | experienced it before can help eliminate |
| | | | unhealthy coping mechanisms such as |
| Do not accuse the depressed person of faking | | | | isolation, shame, control and low |
| illness or of laziness, or expect him or her | | | | self-esteem. |
| "to snap out of it." | | | | |
| | | | Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional: We |
| Learn all you can about depression. | | | | are all going to feel pain in life never mind |
| | | | a home with mental illness. Surround |
| Learn all you can about the helping system | | | | yourselves with knowledge, self-care, |
| for depression in your area. | | | | experienced support and nurturing. There are |
| | | | no such things as victims ... only |
| Bond with your friend. (That is, in the | | | | volunteers. |
| depressed person/helper relationship) | | | | |
| | | | Make a list of early symptoms such as sleep, |
| Learn to communicate with the depressed | | | | appetite and mood changes. Early intervention |
| person. | | | | is the key to stopping a downward spiral. |
| | | | Determine what worked in the past to get the |
| Encourage and help them to strengthen | | | | person with clinical depression back on track |
| themselves physically, mentally and | | | | and do the things that worked before. |
| emotionally as much as possible given their | | | | |
| depressed state. | | | | Research shows that medication in combination |
| | | | with cognitive behavioral therapy is more |
| Do provide the depressed person with | | | | effective than medication alone. Combined |
| practical help, as you are able. For example, | | | | with therapy, the person who is clinically |
| you may provide them with babysitting; this | | | | depressed may need to make lifestyle changes, |
| can be especially helpful if they need to go | | | | including dietary and exercise changes. The |
| to a therapy appointment or support group. If | | | | family needs to find ways to reduce stressors |
| possible and appropriate, you may provide | | | | by simplifying their lives. |
| financial help. | | | | |
| | | | Listening carefully can also make you more |
| Do model positive behaviors. One of the best | | | | aware of signs of suicide which should not be |
| ways to influence someone else to become more | | | | ignored. |