Any answers to depression?

Anyone know a good way out of depression if someone is lost? A good friend of mine is really suffering at the moment and I really want to help him. Anyone know any answers?

it entirely depends on why he's depressed... there are so many reasons why people get depressed, which results in so many different answers...

sometimes some people really don't want help and trying to help them will actually force them into a worse situation making them feel helpless and that they can't solve their own problems (this is how I get when I've been really depressed).

all I can say is just try and be there, when he needs to talk listen, but don't try and force him into talking... just let him know every so often that your there for him... getting out of depression isn't an easy thing... especially if they're prone to it and its not due to loosing a loved one or something like that...

do you have any idea why he's depressed?

cheer up for christ's sake!

There is a few threads about depression if you do a search, and you might find the answers you're looking for in one of those.

I could go into a long-winded monologue about the St. John's Wort, but I'm sure I've posted about it before.

Try this: http://multimedia.honda-eu.com/dies...eploy/game.html

Originally posted by Jamie

Try this: http://multimedia.honda-eu.com/dies...eploy/game.html

Da linkie no workie

Originally posted by owdlad

Da linkie no workie

Cricky ... you're right!

http://multimedia.honda-eu.com/diesel/game/deploy/game.html

That'll work.

I can entirely echo what xafier says. The most important thing is just to let your friend know that you are available for him. He will probably feel worse at times when no one is around - the middle of the night, early morning ect.

I found cognitive behavioral therapy really helpful. It really makes you realize how your own automatic thoughts about day to day things contribute to how you feel. And then trains you to react more positively and constructively to events. It all sounds a bit strange and I’ve probably not explained it right but there are a lot of positive studies on its effectiveness been done. It is also readily available on the NHS - probably because it has proved effective in a short number of sessions. I was lucky because the councilor at my GP practice is trained in CBT. Your friend should ask for it specifically.

I also found anti depressant medication extremely helpful, but I know that not every one is happy about taking this type of medication. The way I see it though, if I had a problem with my heart I wouldn’t hesitate to take the medication prescribed. I sometimes think that a lot of people don't take the medication purely because of the stigma and this is very sad.

Mind also has some really good booklets about depression, treatment options, different types of therapy and helping someone who is depressed.

Originally posted by Olliekitten

Anyone know a good way out of depression if someone is lost? A good friend of mine is really suffering at the moment and I really want to help him. Anyone know any answers?

be there when he needs you. Its something he really has to get through himself.

anti-depressants help some (I'd rather shove conifers up my bum but that's just me) but a lot have adverse side effects and he would need to find the right one for him.

Doctors tend to be wholey useless.

If he's stuck in a rut and not leaving the house you need to get him out a few times a week. Nothing major but a walk or something. He probably wont want to be particularly sociable but just getting out and doing something is a step in the right direction.

I would echo what has been said so far. Unfortunately your friend needs to WANT to get out of the depression before anything will help. I suffered from depression when I was younger and initially wanted counselling, so I went to my GP who also mentioned anti-depressants. I wasn't keen on that idea to start with, but because I had to wait some time for regular counselling sessions I decided I would give them a try, and they did really help. I don't think that the medication alone would have been enough though, but in combination with the counselling it was very effective.

Counselling is very difficult to get on the NHS from my experience. My GPs could offer a counselling service, but only for up to six sessions. I had an initial session and was simply told they could not offer me more than this and the counsellor said it wouldn't be nearly enough for me, so she gave me the details of a charitable organisation that provided free counselling to the under 25s. I had to wait a few months before I was offered regular sessions, but it was well worth the wait.

However what made me want to get out of my depression was one of my friends. He was always there for me through my bad times and one day he simply sat down with me and said he was now constantly worried about me and about what I would do. The fact that I realised that he thought I was suicidal made me take a long hard look at myself (I wasn't suicidal, but I realised I had let it go on for too long) and I decided I didn't want to spend my life like that. So friends really CAN make a difference - sit down with your friend and tell them exactly how worried you are about them and tell them how much they mean to you.