How to Help a Friend in Depression

There comes a phase in our lives which makes us depressed, sad, blue, unhappy and miserable. The feeling of down in the dumps or depression is a difficult condition to deal with.

If it has hit your friend, your support can make all the difference to get him out of the mental trauma. A friend of a depression victim should do the following to help them out of the condition.

Acknowledge their problems: Tell your friend that you’ve noticed the sad behavior in him/her. Assure them that you are always there for them, to share their problems. The stigma associated with depression is that the victims don't even feel like telling anyone about their problems. Gain their trust so that they can open up with you. Tell them that you won’t leak anything they are going to tell you. Acknowledging what they are feeling inside and talking about it is the first step in helping friends.

Getting to the root cause: Make attempts to find out the reason of why your friend is in a depressive state. Offer them a helping hand or ask them how you can help him/her. Don’t hurry or don’t get upset if they are not talking about it.

What should you not do: Knowing their reason of  or why they are sad, take their reasons seriously? Don't joke around with them on that issue; you may be altering mood for the worst. Most importantly, do not bring up whatever they have told you in front of others. Don’t put up remarks such as "Why can't you just be happy for once?" or "Will you ever stop being like this?" or "It's getting annoying."

Listen attentively: If they are discussing something with you, you should be attentive. Be understanding, kind and willing to listen. Even if they are not talking about their troubles, give undivided attention to them. Sometimes, a victim just needs someone to talk to. Listening attentively will help you judge and advice them better. When they are in a dialogue, don't interrupt and never tell them they are wrong. Moreover, one shouldn’t react in horror.

Don’t compare their problems to others: Every person’s story is different from other. Try to understand their problem, not calling upon the things your friend or your near ones have told you to get over depression. Learn about depression; apply the symptoms and emotions to yourself, to figure out what is going wrong with your friend.