这10 Best Ways to Support Someone With Depression

Education makes the difference between saying something helpful versus hurtful. Research your topic as if you were a journalist covering a story. An understanding of symptoms, causes, and treatment options are critical to framing your words in such a way that they are heard with compassion, not resentment. Depression is a complex illness. While you don’t have to be a neuroscientist to approach a friend or family member, education can help guide you to a loving response.

With depression the terrain is vast—each person’s experience is unique. That’s why asking the right questions is crucial. Your friend may have had a suicide plan in mind for weeks, or she could merely be stressed at work. Channel Barbara Walters and begin the interview. Start with safety: “Do you have any intentions to hurt yourself?” Then get a timeline of symptoms: “When did they start? Any identifiable triggers? What makes you feel worse? Better?” Be gentle and tactful.

家人和朋友们常常看到一个被爱的一个人的抑郁症的更广泛的照片，因此帮助他或她将症状放在适当的背景中。讨论其他健康状况的任何家庭历史，如thyroidandheart disease, that can affect depression and may need to be checked, or other information that may worth considering. Although a family history doesn’t predict a person’s outcome, it can lead to a better understanding and acceptance of depressive episodes.

这re’s no way around it: stress is bad stuff for depression. Chronic levels of stress pour cortisol into your bloodstream, causing inflammation in your nervous system and every other biological system. Help your loved one pinpoint sources of stress in his or her life and brainstorm about creative strategies to reduce it. Even small changes, like not taking a cell phone to bed or practicing deep breathing, can go a long way in promoting resilience.

伙伴系统不仅适用于女孩侦察营。对于努力解决健康状况的人来说，这是有效的。知道你并不孤单的鲍尔斯特恢复并尽量减少复发的风险。这新英格兰医学杂志published a study in which women who participated in a supportive-expressive therapy表现出更大的心理症状改善比没有治疗的小组。帮助您的亲人找到支持。从...开始this HealthCentral list。

“当你沮丧时，你不相信你值得爱，”J. Raymond J. Depaulo，M.D.In了解抑郁症。实际上，你不相信你有什么值得的。亲人迫切需要提醒他们的优势。那是你的工作。请明确点。他们生活中提到的时间，他们体现了勇气，耐力和坚持不懈。在过去分享成就的照片，将使他们的信心加强，并鼓励他们沿着愈合的道路。

笑声治愈。它提供了一个人距离痛苦的瞬间距离。一项研究发表在这FASEB Journalshowed thatthe addition of mirthful laughter may be an effective cardiovascular preventive adjunct在糖尿病和代谢综合征护理中。精神卫生专业人员认识到其在治疗抑郁症状和医院心理单位的喜剧中的价值。你的作业：让你的爱人笑。

当我沮丧时，这四个字影响了我：“你会感觉更好。”或者你可以这样说：“你不会总是这样。”这两个陈述沟通希望，最强大的治疗元素。As a friend or family member, your hardest job is to get your loved one to have hope again, to sincerely believe that his or her depression isn’t a permanent state, that they will return to their former selves—maybe even a stronger self—with time.

如果您在此列表中只做了一件事，请使其成为：听。Suspend all judgments, save all interjections. Do nothing more than make excellent eye contact and open your ears. In her bestselling book厨房桌子智慧，Rachel Naomi Remen写道：“我怀疑连接到另一个人的最基本和强大的方式是倾听。只要听取。也许我们互相互相拥挤的最重要的事情是我们的注意。”

记得遵循空乘器的指导，然后在试图帮助你的爱人之前系好自己的氧气面膜。否则你会用完空气。许多组织为抑郁和其他情绪障碍的人员和家人提供支持和资源。退房Families for Depression Awareness， 这抑郁症和双极支持联盟家庭中心, and theNational Alliance on Mental Illness Family Support Group。