Help For Depression

Depression can make you feel tired, worthless, hopeless and helpless. Such negative thinking has a great impact on your view upon life and the world and sometimes they can make you feel like giving up.

However, it is very important to realize this negative thinking is part of the depression and do not reflect the reality accurately.

How To Help Yourself When You Are Depressed

If you follow a treatment, negative feelings will gradually fade out. In the meantime, there are a lot of things you could do by yourself:

• Set realistic goals and assume a reasonable degree of responsibility.
• Try to split large tasks into smaller ones, set your priorities and do what you can the way you can.
• Don't isolate yourself, try to socialize and have someone to talk to.
• Do all the things that make you feel a little better.
• Light exercising, going to a ballgame, a movie or participating in social or religious activities might help.
• Don't expect miraculous results. Feeling better will take time. 
• Try to postpone major decision until you are cured from depression. If you have to do it earlier, talk to someone who knows you very well and has a more objective perspective over the situation. 
• Very few people just "snap out" of a depression. However, you will feel a little better day by day.    Allow people who care for you to help you.

How Can Family And Friends Provide Depression Help

The most important thing family and friends can do is to help the depressed person seek professional depression help. This includes encouraging him or her to make an appointment to a therapist, take the prescription medication, look for another treatment in case the first doesn't work and obey the doctor's rules about alcohol use.

Secondly, it is very important to offer emotional support, such as affection, understanding and encouragement. Try to engage him or her in conversations and listen carefully to what he/she has to say. Remarks about suicide should be reported to the therapist.

Try to involve the depressed person in social activities, especially in those who he/she used to enjoy. However, do not push him/her, as this can increase the feeling of failure.
 
Never acuse a depressed person of laziness or faking illness and do not expect him/her to just "snap out of it". With time and professional treatment, it generally gets better. Keep reminding yourself and the depressed person that eventually he/she will start feeling better.

Where To Get Depression Help

If you are not sure where you can go for depression help, look in the Yellow pages under "health", "mental health", "social services", "crisis", "crisis intervention services", "suicide prevention", "hotlines", "physicians", "hospitals" for telephone numbers and addresses. In case of an emergency, the emergency room doctor from a hospital can provide temporary help and guide you to further help.

Here are the types of people that should be able to provide professional depression help:

• Family doctors 
• Mental health specialists (psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, mental health counselors) 
• Community mental health centers 
• Health maintenance organizations 
• Psychiatry departments within hospitals 
• University- or medical school-affiliated programs 
• Family service, social agencies, clergy 
• State hospital outpatient clinics 
• Private clinics 
• Local medical or psychiatric societies 
• Employee assistance programs