How to help someone with depression
If you are the family, friend or carer of someone with depression, these are some things you can do to help:
- Encourage the person to stick with treatment, including medication and keeping appointments with their doctor and/or psychologist.
- Understand when the person is too unwell to work, go out, or be active.
- Avoid telling the person to ‘just try harder’.
- Get help if the person talks about suicide.
Sometimes a person with depression loses hope or just doesn’t feel like getting help. You may need to persuade them to see a doctor or psychologist. But later, after they have recovered, they can see that not wanting treatment was part of the illness.
More about caring for someone with a mental illness
Support and information for families