Your depressed friend, how to help him/her?

Helping a friend, partner, or relative with depression is much like helping someone who has recently had surgery. Acceptance and assistance in both situations are foundations to recovery. However, failure to secure professional treatment for serious (clinical) depression can sometimes lead to suicide.

5 More tips

a. Learn all you can about depression.

b. Learn all you can about the helping system for depression in your area.

c. Bond with your friend. (That is, in the depressed person/helper relationship)

d. Learn to communicate with the depressed person.

e. Encourage and help them to strengthen themselves physically, mentally and emotionally as much as possible given their depressed state.

f. Help them explore options which will eventually get them the help they need and end their depression.

via have-a-heart

How to Help a Friend in Grief

Recognize that everyone grieves at their own pace. .
Keep us company and be there for us. .
Make suggestions and initiate contact and activities.
Provide a safe environment for us to show strong emotions. .
Help us remember good things.
Be there after the first wave is over.
Listen to us.
Be careful of clich, religious platitudes, or easy answers.
Be sensitive to our needs, be patient, have confidence and believe in us.
Be on the look-out for destructive behaviors.
Help us find humorous diversion.
Be willing to do difficult things with us.
Help us find ways to bring good things out of the bad.
Find out about grief.
Help us to find support and inspiration.

via willsworld

Another 7 things you can do

Learn all you can about depression.
Encourage your friend to see a psychiatrist and look into medication if necessary.
Find out if there is a support group in your area for people with depression.
Call your sad friend often, visit them, exercise together, and make plans to go out. .
Don't skirt around the issue.
They may find household chores and errands to be too overwhelming, so offer to help with them or anything else.
If you are worried that your friend might hurt herself or himself, try not to let them be alone.

via dearsugar

7 steps and 15 tips from wikihow

Accept.
Acknowledge.
Ask.
Listen.
Encourage.
Watch.
Act.

via wikihow

People with depression can't "snap out of it" or "pull themselves up by the bootstraps," although society often conveys that message.
Do not try to make them feel better by reminding them how much better their lives are than other people's.
Remember that having a mental illness still carries a stigma in our society.
If you honestly mean it and can do so with an open heart, offer to be there 24/7.
Offer advice sparingly.
Many people with depression will turn down your offer of assistance.
Don't take rejection personally.
Ask what you can do to help, rather than assume you know the answers.
In helping, be aware that a person with depression is vulnerable.
Get them to express their emotion.
If they are serious about doing harm to themselves, you need to contact assistance immediately.
If you are the least bit worried that a person may be suicidal or may otherwise physically harm themselves, call a suicide helpline or a local mental health organization for advice on how to proceed.
Ask a depressed friend for help.
Exercise is one of the better medicines.
Work with the person suffering from depression to find positive social networks, volunteer opportunities, mental health support groups, and spiritual organizations.