How to guide a friend who is depressed

When a friend is depressed, support can be provided through listening and companionship, avoiding preaching, encouraging medical treatment, moderate exercise, and maintaining contact. Depression is a psychological disorder that requires professional intervention, and the care of family and friends should be based on respecting the patient's feelings.

1. Listen and Accompany

Focused listening is more important than giving advice. Maintain eye contact and physical relaxation, express understanding with brief responses, and avoid interrupting or asking for details. Allow silence to exist, and quiet companionship can also convey a sense of support. Depressed patients often fall into self doubt, and listening without judgment can help them release emotional stress.

Secondly, avoid preaching.

Do not use preaching language that you should try to use. Depression is not simply a bad mood, but involves physiological neurotransmitter disorders. I understand that you are currently in pain instead of using motivational words. Avoid comparing the experiences of others and focus on the patient's current genuine feelings.

3. Encourage medical treatment

Gentle advice to seek help from a psychiatrist or psychological counselor. Proactively provide medical accompaniment, but respect the other party's right to choose. Depression, like a cold, requires treatment to eliminate the sense of shame. Professional treatment may include psychological interventions such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal relationship therapy.

Fourth, moderate exercise

invites participation in low-intensity activities such as walking and yoga, rather than mandatory exercise. Outdoor activities under sunlight can promote serotonin secretion, but the intensity needs to be adjusted according to the partner's condition. If rejected, there is no need to insist. It is more appropriate to provide home companionship instead.

Fifth, keep in touch.

Regularly send brief messages of concern to avoid excessive follow-up on recent situations. Continuous and stable communication can make patients feel safe, but they need to accept that they may not receive a response. Positive moments from daily life can be shared, but excessive beautification should be avoided to avoid causing stress. Helping depressed friends requires long-term patience, focusing on one's own psychological energy to avoid exhaustion. You can learn about depression related knowledge, but do not attempt to replace professional treatment. Pay attention to suicide risk signals and immediately contact crisis intervention agencies if you have thoughts of self harm. Maintain a regular pace of life, convey warmth through small things such as cooking together and tidying up the room, and avoid personalizing the patient's issues. The family and friends support system is crucial for the recovery of depression, but the final rehabilitation path still requires guidance from a professional medical team.