9 ways to support someone with depression problems. How to help someone with depression is something we all want to figure out. However, it is not as easy as it looks. But there are few suggestions from the experts which can be helpful to you. This article will come handy to you regarding what you should do and what you need not do.
Things that you should do for a depressed person
Simple things you can do to offer support when you are living with a depressed person:
1) It is essential to hear them out:
You might think about engaging in small talks because a depressed person doesn’t feel like talking. However, there may be a few flaws in your ways of talking. Your manner of talking needs to be without any assumptions and with empathic body language.
2) Assist them in searching support:
You might have seen your dear one being unsure about how to come out of it. You need to guide them in introspection as to what they really want. You need to understand that they might be feeling fearful or anxious to go to a therapist. You need to support them in going throughout the process and completing the therapy.
3) Self-care:
Haven’t you too felt emotionally and physically exhausted at the end of the day? You need to understand the importance of balancing the care of yourself along with theirs. So, make sure that that you don’t compromise on your ‘me time’!
4) Gaining knowledge about it:
When you feel that you are unable to understand what they are going through, don’t delay researching the disorder. There are several sites where you will easily get the information in a smooth and precise manner.
5) Assistance with routine chores:
They can feel very overwhelmed while doing chores, which may look very easy for you. They might not be sure as to what they want to be done. So it is better on your part to just take up the chores on your own. Your company will also feel less overwhelmed.
6) Involvement in plans:
Allowing them to open up by being engaged in their friends’ circle will help them a lot. However, as you might have encountered several times, they do feel guilty after canceling such plans. Therefore, it is necessary to provide them the assurance that it is alright to cancel them when they don’t feel like doing so.
7) Having patience:
They go through ups and downs in terms of their recovery numerous times. It is necessary on your end to have patience. Patience will also help you to be hopeful and optimistic. Further, they might also want to attempt various ways of being well. All they require is your patience! There are several ways you can practice for supporting a family member or friend with depression. At the California Medical Behavioral Clinical Trials, we believe that family support for depression is crucial.
8) Being in contact with them:
Have your dear ones talked to you for days? But you must let people with depression know that you care about them. It is okay if they are not able to express themselves properly to you. You never know that they might be experiencing suicidal behavior disorder, and hence, it is all the more significant to ensure that you are in contact with them.
9) Understanding about various kinds of the disorder:
Do you think that depression symptoms include sadness and gloominess? No! They can also feel angry, annoyed, irritated, or confused. Other kinds of this disorder may also represent themselves through physical problems, problems with sleep, or memory issues. Such an understanding will make you mentally prepared to accept these symptoms as a result of their disorder.
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Things that you should avoid doing
Things you shouldn't do while helping someone with depression:
1) Taking things at heart:
As we have understood through the above points, they might feel various emotions and moods as part of the disorder itself. Thus, you should not take things personally. When you do so and be upset or angry with them, it will worsen things for them. The better option for you will be to consult a counselor rather than arguing with them.
2) Be solution-oriented and an advice-giving sage:
You need to understand that it is far more complicated to treat them than just giving advice or saying motivational quotes to them. All you can do is to be by their side, no matter what. Let their therapist do their job. Hence, you need not be solution-oriented and try to make things better for them.
3) Comparison of their issues:
We all wrongly think that it will motivate them to be better when trying to compare their issues with others. But what they feel is being neglected and treating their problems as unimportant. You need to understand that whatever they feel needs to be considered.
4) Decisions about their medications:
It is unethical and dangerous for your dear one to mold their medication schedule according to your preference. Let them decide whether they want to take the medications or not. Let them decide whether they want to deal with its side effects or not. It should be only their decision and that of their therapist.
Additionally, to these dos and don’ts, you need to be aware of when to alert and hospitalize them. You also need to be aware of their thoughts of suicide and self-harm. And you need to suggest them to consult the therapist immediately.
Other efforts you can put from your end are creating a favorable environment and a comfortable room. You can also help them by doing their favorite things with them to feel a sense of meaningfulness. Having a pet can also make them feel better. You can also suggest to the various ways of having a sound sleep.
Avoiding speech, which makes them feel any kind of negative emotions in itself will do a lot of good to them. Hence, these are several ways of supporting a person with depression. A little bit of awareness, self-regulation of your emotions, and self-care practices are all, in a nutshell, that will make you the best caregiver of a depressed friend! This concludes our list of 9 ways to support someone with depression problems.
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