Carina
What will you do if your friend got depression ?

What will you do if your friend got depression?

Do you think a friend will be as helpful as a doctor? 

what should I do if my friend refuse to see a doctor?

what should I talk about instead of just saying everything would be better? 


Aug 25, 2016 2:59 AM
Comments · 4
2

The advice I'm about to give is easy to say and hard to do!

A friend is not the same as a doctor. A friend doesn't understand the symptoms. A friend hasn't seen hundreds of other people with the same problems. A friend cannot tell if medication will be useful and cannot prescribe medication. 

But a friend helps in different ways than a doctor. 

The biggest common factor in all successful psychotherapy is simply the presence of a sympathetic and nonjudgemental listener. You can help just by being there and listening. Don't tell your friend to cheer up or try to point out the positive, but do stay friends and do try to keep being there and listening.

If your friend really has clinical depression, your friend should see a doctor, but if they refuse to see a doctor there's not much you can do. Do your best not to keep nagging them about it.

August 26, 2016
@<a ui-sref="user({id:comment.commenter_obj.id})" href="https://www.italki.com/user/1271883" style="line-height: 1.5; color: rgb(149, 149, 149); outline: 0px; outline-offset: -2px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Dan Smith</a> thank you very much , it's helpful to me 
August 26, 2016
@David F.    Thank you for your advice.   it's not just be "depressed for a couple of days ", i guess it's more than a year.....
August 25, 2016
Firstly, discuss with your friend. If their problem seems serious or they're still depressed after a couple days, consult a therapist. There is NOTHING wrong with seeing a therapist!
August 25, 2016