Things You Should Never Say To Someone Who Is Depressed

It can sometimes be quite difficult to support someone who is depressed. Sometimes it is very tempting to distance yourself from this person. Rather than risk doing or saying something that will only make the situation worse.

Don’t do this: The family member or friend who has to live with this condition day in and day out needs your help now more than ever.

It is important to remember that while you may mean well some expressions, these expressions can have very different meanings to someone who is depressed. The last thing someone who is depressed needs is the feeling that their state of mind is misunderstood.

Things you should never say to someone who is depressed:

“Why can’t you just be happy?”

Depression causes a person to have a distorted view of the world around them. He will look at everything much more negatively or sadly. Talking about happiness can therefore be very discouraging and sometimes make him even more hopeless than he already is.

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for depression. Demanding or expecting a sudden change can therefore promote feelings of discouragement and failure.

‘There are medicines and therapy for people who are depressed’

Some people are afraid to ask for help. This is due to the stigma surrounding mental illness. Maybe someone doesn’t want to show how they really feel. Since we live in a culture where only people who are highly productive are really valued.

Medications can be a major source of stress because of:

• The prejudices about this.
• The chance to become addicted.
• Suffer from side effects.

All of this causes people who suffer from depression to fear that drugs will affect their fundamental psyche or cause them to lose themselves.

It’s okay to talk about the option to go to therapy. However, never try to force anyone to do this. Sometimes it just takes a while before someone is willing to actually take that step.

‘Just try to get over it’

People who are not depressed usually do not suffer from reduced physical or psychological energy. However, this is something that people who do suffer from depression experience regularly.

You probably mean it all very well when you say to someone who is depressed:

• That he needs to get off the couch and do something that will make him feel better.
• That he should go out.
• Must go travelling.
• Or just trying to have a little fun.

While this advice is understandable, it can actually make a depressed person even more hopeless. This person is the one who would most like to get over these feelings, he just doesn’t know how. He has no control over his mood, thoughts and behavior, even less when the depression is very severe.

“It’s not that bad, some people experience much worse things”

No one wants to be compared to starving children living in a war zone or to people who are mortally ill. Why would you force someone who suffers from depression to think about these things? Do you really think this will make him feel better?

People who suffer from depression often have thoughts in their heads that could easily become psychotic or insane. Constantly comparing these people to others will only make them feel worse.

Even if you mean well, you won’t get anywhere by saying things like this to them.

‘I’m sure you’ll feel better tomorrow’

This condition is not something that often goes away overnight. These kinds of false expectations will only further discourage a person who is depressed. Only the people who have ever been depressed themselves really know how intense the pain, sadness and hopelessness can be.

With the right medical approach, it is certainly possible to overcome depression. However, it does take time. Saying things like this only makes the depressed person feel uncomfortable and paralyzed.

‘This is your own fault’

People have an opinion about everything. This can sometimes be a big mistake if you only:

• Trust your own personal values.
• Have a lack of information.
• Generally don’t know much about what it’s actually about.

Depression has been associated with sin for centuries. It used to be thought that depression was a way of punishing people who had broken the laws of the “gods”.

And to this day there are still people who make references to issues of sin and punishment when talking about depression. This attitude has very negative consequences. It will only worsen the mood of the person suffering from depression.

‘Don’t be so negative’

Of course, dealing with someone who is depressed can be difficult. His lack of energy and gloom can also ruin your mood, causing many to instinctively distance themselves from someone who is depressed.

Sometimes people eventually reach a point where they openly state how the person who is depressed makes them feel.

Yes, of course the mood of someone who is depressed also affects your mood. However, admitting this to the person who is depressed will only keep their negative emotions growing.

The best way to help is to support this person. Make every effort for him to find the right facilities to deal with his problem.

Depression is a serious issue

No, depression is not entirely psychological and cannot be cured within a predetermined time. There doesn’t even have to be an obvious cause for it.

After all, being depressed means you no longer see a reason to live. This can be caused by thousands of different factors such as:

• Problems within the family
• The death of a loved one
• Failures at work
• etc.

Nevertheless, being depressed mainly means that you have to fight day in and day out to survive. Remember this when you hear these expressions, because you know that they won’t really help someone who suffers from this condition at all.