How to support depression

Margarita Tartakovsky, M. Associate Editor and regular contributor at Psych Central. Coping with depression isn’t easy, but if you, a family member or a friend is struggling, there is help. NAMI is there to provide support and resources for you and your family.

Leading a balanced lifestyle can help you manage symptoms of depression.

What you can do for your loved one: Encourage sticking with treatment. If your relative or friend is in treatment for depression, help him or her remember to take prescribed medications and to keep appointments. Providing hope, support , and inspiration.

The lived experience of depression or bipolar disorder, which can often begin painfully and with debilitating symptoms, can ultimately provide people with diagnoses with unique insights and abilities to help their peers, as well as hope and inspiration. It can be helpful to meet with other people who understand what it's like. Depression can make you feel isolated. This is sometimes called peer support.

Self-help groups allow people with depression to provide, as well as receive, help.

How to find depression support groups. Visit the Mind website for information about support groups in your area. You can also search for a depression specialist in your area, and discover.

DBSA offers in-person and online support groups for people living with a mood disorder as well as friends and family. Parents who have a child living with depression or bipolar can join the online community for parents, the Balanced Mind Parent Network. Get the emotional support you need from others like you, and gain practical advice and insights on managing treatment or therapies for depression. ADAA’s anonymous peer-to-peer online anxiety and depression support group (now with more than 20subscribers from around the world) is a friendly, safe and supportive place for individuals and their families to share information and experiences.

How can I help a depressed person? What to do, say to help someone with depression? Its meaning can range from a prolonged period of sadness to an actual mental illness with specific symptoms.

ADAA does not endorse the use of a support group as a substitute for proper diagnosis and treatment. Please check with your health care provider about the benefits of joining a support group as part of an overall treatment regimen. Tips on how families can work together to manage depression treatment. Connecting with individuals who understand firsthand can be an important step toward cultivating a new healthier life. The Tribe offers its depression support group members a convenient and safe place to connect, share stories and encouragement.

Over 2self-help support groups and discussion forums for people who need emotional support , help with a mental health, relationship, parenting, or sexual problem, and mental illness support. To assess the efficacy of peer support for reducing symptoms of depression.

Should I confront this person, or is there another way I can start the conversation? Are there any support groups for family and friends of people with depression ? Information about depression , its symptoms and possible causes, and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips on caring for yourself, and guidance for friends and family.

Coming to this site may be opening a new door, entertaining the question, Could I be depressed? It might be encouraging or it might be a bit frightening.