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Written by: Petros Skapinakis, MD, MPH, PhD, lecturer of Psychiatry in the University of Ioannina Medical School, Greece.
Eva Gerasi, postgraduate student in the Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Ioannina, Greece.
First version:
28 Nov 2006.
Latest revision:
28 Nov 2006.
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What must I do to help someone who is depressed? How should I behave with someone depressed? How can other people bring me to life?
Answer:
Here are some suggestions on how to behave with a depressed relative or friend:
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Be tactful, but not to the point of pretending that the problem does not exist.
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Seek an opportunity to communicate that you are aware of the person's difficulty and available to help or listen.
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Invite the person to express how he or she is feeling, but do not insist on it.
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Do not demand too much: be encouraging but patient, allowing the person to choose his or her pace.
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Try to avoid premature or bland reassurance, which risks communicating that you fail to understand or do not care.
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Make it clear that you are trying to understand and ask what you can do.
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