When a person you love has depression, it can change everything. Depression can have a profoundly negative impact on the lives of those affected. It can change their behavior and affect their ability to function normally in everyday life. When someone you love has depression, it’s natural to feel concerned and unsure what to do or say. You might not know how best to support them or whether they would welcome your help and support. It’s not an easy situation to deal with, but there are things you can do to make things easier for them and help them get through it.
If someone you love is dealing with depression, the most important thing is showing them that you care about them, regardless of their diagnosis. Be open about how you feel and listen carefully when they speak with you about how they’re feeling. That being said, here are some practical steps that you can take as an ally for someone who is dealing with depression.
Educate Yourself About Depression
When you spend time with family members, you want those visits to be happy ones. However, sometimes roommates and relatives have a tendency to bring down the mood instead, particularly if someone in your family has depression.
If this happens to someone you know, it might leave you feeling frustrated, annoyed and confused. You might even feel helpless because it’s not easy to know how best to help them. Furthermore, since they’re a relative or close friend, it can make things even more challenging.
However, just because it makes things more complicated doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything you can do for them. As an extended member of their family who cares about them, there are lots of things that you can do to help lift their spirits once again.
Being open-minded and aware of the signs and symptoms of depression is an important part of supporting someone with the condition. If you don’t understand the basics of depression, it can make it difficult to provide the right kind of support. Reading up on what depression is, what it looks like, and why it happens can give you a better idea of what your loved one is going through.
How To Tell if Your Family Member Has Depression
A diagnosis of depression isn’t always straightforward. Depression can manifest in different ways and have different degrees of severity. If your loved one is being treated for depression and it doesn’t seem to be getting better, or if they’ve been diagnosed with depression but don’t seem to be taking any steps to get better, you might want to consider the possibility of other mental health issues.
A general rule of thumb is that if depression is impacting your loved one’s ability to function in day-to-day life, they may be dealing with something more serious than just depression. If your loved one has symptoms like a change in appetite or sleeping patterns, feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, or extreme feelings of guilt, they may be suffering from something other than depression – or possibly severe or treatment-resistant depression.
Treatment-resistant depression is a type of depression that does not respond to traditional antidepressants or talk therapy. It is estimated that 2.8 million adults in the United States suffer from TRD. This type of intractable depression can, however, be treated with alternative therapies like TMS therapy and ketamine treatments, which are both safe and highly effective approaches for mitigating severe depression.
Ask Questions and Offer to Help
If your loved one opens up about their experience with depression, it’s important to ask them questions and show them that you’re there for them. Ask them how you can best help them and what you can do to make things easier. Encourage them to talk about their experience and what they’re going through. Acknowledging their feelings and validating the way they’re feeling is an important part of helping them move forward. If your loved one wants to try therapies or medications, you can ask them if there are any actions you can take to help facilitate this process. If your loved one is on medication for depression, you can offer to help them stay organized by scheduling reminders for them to take their medication.
Meet Them Where They’re At
Your loved one may want to be more independent than you think is necessary, which is completely fine. If your loved one is open to it, you can try to help facilitate this process. You can do this by making small changes in your loved one’s everyday life that may make a big difference for them. If your loved one has trouble getting out of bed in the morning, consider making their breakfast before they wake up. You can also make their lunch for work if your loved one has trouble with this. If your loved one has social anxiety, encourage them to engage with others. You can encourage them to try engaging in activities they enjoy, such as exercise or reading. You can also try arranging social activities with friends.
Don’t Be Afraid To Set Boundaries
Depression can change a person’s behavior, and they may become more irritable or aggressive than they usually would be under normal circumstances. If your loved one has become more hostile or is behaving in a way that makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to put up with it. If something your loved one says or does makes you feel afraid or uncomfortable, it’s important to let them know that this isn’t okay. Let them know that their behavior is making you uncomfortable and that you don’t want to put up with it. If your loved one is open to it, you can offer to help them with their irritability and aggression by practicing mindfulness or other self-calming techniques.
Get Help for Depression at Lucid Wellness Center
If you’ve tried everything you can think of and you still can’t get your loved one to seek help, you may want to consider referring them to a professional at Lucid Wellness Center. Different people respond to different types of treatment, and you want to make sure you find a type of help that works for your loved one.After you’ve found a treatment program for depression, such as Lucid Wellness Center, encourage your loved one to get involved with the program and open up to the support they can receive. If you or a loved one is suffering from depression, now is the time to take action.
There are a variety of different ways to treat depression, including therapy, medications, and self-care – but some people have severe or treatment-resistant cases of depression that require more powerful tools like TMS or ketamine therapy. These are all valid tools to help you get through your depression, and they can make a huge difference in your life if you use them. Ketamine therapy and TMS are uniquely effective for treatment-resistant depression, however, and studies show that they also work far more quickly than traditional antidepressants.
If you are ready to get your family member the help they need, reach out to Lucid Wellness Center today for a free consultation.