What not to tell a depressed person

What not to say to someone with panic disorder? What is the worst thing to say to a depressed person? How not to talk to someone with depression? How do you Make Yourself not depressed?

If you have a friend or family member struggling with depression, you might not know what to say or how to lend support. The single best thing you can do for a friend with depression is listen without judgment.

There are a number of phrases that are sometimes used with good intentions but can actually make a person with depression feel worse. Never tell a depressed person that they are struggling because of their own actions. Just like most other illnesses, people with depression have no say in whether or or not they are affected. Scientists suspect mood disorders are a result of both genetic predisposition and social factors, so people who struggle with depression did not choose to.

While you can’t control someone else’s recovery from depression, you can start by encouraging the depressed person to seek help. Getting a depressed person into treatment can be difficult. Research has shown that people tend to withdraw when they are depresse   so reaching out to a friend in need is an important first step.

Chances are a depressed person is already struggling with feelings of guilt and self-criticism.

Practice self-care – Never ever forget to care of your min body, and other relationships when a loved one is struggling. A person struggling with depression may feel helpless. Depression is not a choice. A depressed person legitimately can’t function like a mentally health person. Pestering or shaming them about it will only hurt, not help.

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But when you live with a depressed person , it can be painfully difficult. Anti-depressants are the number-one prescribed medication in this country, but they are not a panacea. Even if you have the best of intentions, sometimes its hard to know what to say to a person with depression. It’s important to remember that these symptoms can be part of life’s normal lows. But the more symptoms you have, the stronger they are, and the longer they’ve lasted—the more likely it is that you’re dealing with depression.

Just as you wouldn’t expect someone with the flu to recover through willpower alone, it’s unrealistic to expect someone to stop being depressed just because you tell them to feel better. No one enjoys depression.

Telling any human being how to feel or what they are feeling is the most condescending thing you could imply. Knowing how to make a depressed person feel better is notoriously difficult. People with depression find it hard to ask for help, usually because they don’t know what they need or because they’re worried about being a burden on their loved ones. Major depression is not always disabling, but it is not something that a depressed person can simply will away. Most people who have depression do not cause harm to themselves or to others.

Typically, the internal moral compass and care for others win out over any impulses to do harm. A person with depression will experience sleep disturbances that may make them want to stay in bed all day. A lot of times, depressed people will not sleep at all, and at other times they may sleep too much. Coffee and other stimulants might contribute to sleep disturbances that make depression worse. I remember a while back when a friend sent me a text to tell me that she was depressed.

Tell me how you're feeling, I'll probably understand how you feel more than you think. I was scared because I had no idea what to say or what not to say. Talk to someone now: text us for confidential support.