Depression is a serious and common mental health disorder. According to the MayoClinic.com, depression is diagnosed twice as often among women as men and can begin at any age, but tends to start when people reach their late 20s. It can be extremely challenging for a person to deal with depression on his own; therefore, if you are able to offer a depressed person support and encouragement, you might be the difference that will get him into treatment.
Step 1
Take care of your own needs. In order to effectively help and support a person with depression you must first take care of yourself. Maintain a healthy diet. Get plenty of sleep. Ensure that you continue on with your daily life and scheduled appointments. Make time for yourself. Have your own support system of people with whom you can talk. Taking care of yourself will ensure that you are not brought down by the depressive symptoms the other person is experiencing.
Step 2
Encourage him to become more active. According to HelpGuide.org, physical activity has been shown to increase the amount of endorphins your body produces. Endorphins can improve your mood and ward off depression.
Incorporate him into your exercise routine. Ask him to come to the gym with you. Invite him to play sports such as tennis or golf. Not only will the exercise increase his mood, the socialization will also help improve his mental state.
Depression tends to make a person want to isolate himself, which can lead to a worsening in depressive symptoms; therefore, helping a depressed person to become social again will begin to improve his mental state.
Step 3
Increase your support. A person who is experiencing depression may be likely to refuse any efforts for help and support when he is offered initially, but it's important to keep trying. Your efforts to offer support must be gentle and sensitive to the nature of the disorder.
To improve your chances of being supportive, you should understand how depression works. Educate yourself on the disorder. Learn about the causes such as life stresses, abuse, trauma and heredity.
Understand how depression manifests. Depression can take hold of a person’s life and mental state; it can cause her to appear lazy, unkind and unreceptive. Depression may cause a person to sleep all the time or constantly battle insomnia even though she is extremely fatigued.
Do not take the things the depressed individual says or her actions personally. Use your knowledge of the disorder to be there for her. Be patient and continue to wait until she is ready to accept help.
Step 4
Get him into treatment. Talk with him about the benefits treatment can have. Encourage him to talk with a person who has benefited from depression treatment. Take him to an initial appointment with a recommended therapist. If a depressed person is dealing with thoughts of suicide, treatment can begin at the hospital.
If he expresses his desire to commit suicide or a plan to commit suicide take him to the hospital or call the police and they will take him there. The doctors at the hospital will evaluated him and get him engaged in the necessary treatment.
