Feeling Tired All the Time? Overcome with These 5 Ways

Seeing the closest person who is experiencing depression can certainly make us feel sad. However, don't let your sadness make you forget to help him, okay? Come on, find out what ways you can help those closest to you deal with depression.

Depression is a mood disorder characterized by prolonged feelings of sadness, worthlessness, and even loss of life expectancy. According to WHO, more than 264 million people worldwide, both adults and children, suffer from depression.

Recognizing the Symptoms of Depression in Close People

Here are some things that can be a symptom or sign that someone close to you is suffering from depression:

• You often look sad or cry
• Often feeling guilty or worthless
• Close communication with other people
• Ignoring personal hygiene and appearance
• Easily angry and irritated
• Desperate or lost hope
• Not interested in doing things you used to like
• No appetite or eating more than usual
• Difficulty sleeping or sleeping more often than usual
• Difficulty concentrating
• Often talking about death or suicide

Usually, in people who are depressed, the symptoms above are severe enough to interfere with daily activities, such as work, school, or relationships.

How to Help Someone Close to Depression

If the people closest to you, whether your spouse, family, or friends experience any of the symptoms or signs above, avoid accusing, blaming, or belittling their feelings.

Instead, take the following steps to help those closest to you deal with depression:

1. Listen to what he has to say

To help someone who is depressed, the first thing you can do is talk to them. You can start by asking questions, such as "You've been feeling low lately, is something bothering you?" or other similar questions.

If he opens up to you, keep asking follow-up questions, like "when did you first feel that way?" or "do you know the reason behind your feelings?".

Remember, he may want to share his feelings with you, but he probably doesn't need your advice. Therefore, you should just listen to every word he says with sympathy, or if necessary, give him a warm hug to calm him down.

2. Say that you are there for him

People suffering from depression often feel that no one understands or cares about their feelings. This can make him feel isolated, making his depressive symptoms worse.

Therefore, you need to reassure him that you will always be by his side and ready to help him. As simple as it sounds, know that it means a lot to people with depression, you.

3. Make sure that he is strong to face this

Usually, people with depression tend to think of themselves as weak or feel that there is something wrong with them. Well, as the person closest to him, you need to give him an understanding that being depressed doesn't mean he is a weak person.

Try to remind him of his past successes and accomplishments. This is useful to convince him that he is strong and powerful enough to be able to recover from the depression he is suffering from.

4. Consult with professionals

You need to know, people with depression often don't realize that they are depressed, or if they do, they may feel embarrassed or hesitate to seek professional help. Coupled with his concern about the stigma about depression circulating in society.

That's why you need to invite people closest to you to consult with professionals. Reassure him that his depression can be treated with professional help.

If he agrees, then help him find and make an appointment with an experienced psychologist or psychiatrist. Also offer your help to accompany him, making a list of questions or things he wants to talk about in his first consultation session.

5. Give encouragement to continue treatment

Even though you've done the first consultation session, it's not a guarantee that those closest to you who are depressed will continue their therapy, you know. Therefore, you need to continue to encourage him so that he will do the next consultation session, yes.

The same is true if he wants to stop taking his drugs, for example because of disturbing side effects. If so, suggest that he first discuss this with the psychiatrist who treats him.

This is important to do, because stopping antidepressant drugs suddenly without the supervision of a psychiatrist risks endangering his health, and can even worsen his depression.

6. Offer to help him

Suffering from depression can make it difficult for sufferers to do daily tasks or work, such as washing, cooking, or shopping for groceries. Therefore, offering help to those closest to you who are experiencing depression can greatly ease the burden.

However, he may also be confused or don't even know what to ask you for help. So, the solution, use specific sentences. For example, instead of asking "is there anything I can help you with?" you better say "what do you want to eat for dinner? Let's go shopping together."

7. Keep in touch

If you can't see the person closest to you who is depressed, you still need to maintain communication with them, right? This is because the presence and support of the people around will make him feel less alone in dealing with his depression.

You can maintain communication, for example by asking how he is and saying that you miss him through electronic messages, phone calls, or video calls.

Accompanying the closest people to recover from depression is not an easy thing. Nevertheless, you still have to be patient in dealing with this, yes.

In addition, no less important, you also still need to take good care of yourself. If you're having trouble, ask other relatives or friends to help accompany those closest to you who are experiencing depression.

If accompanying someone close to you who is depressed feels very hard for you, you can also ask a psychologist or psychiatrist for help about this.

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