What to SAY and NOT to SAY to Depressed people.

Most of the time they are only looking for a non-judgemental listner.
Please listen to them without interruptions, This allows then to throw it out of the system.

1.Come on, there are problems worse than you have

Better say: ’Oh, I’m so sorry you feel bad. What can I do to help you?’ ’Just believe in yourself, tomorrow it’ll be better’.


2.’Life is unfair’

Stop! How can that help me feel better? You worsen the situation by saying so, and it depreciates my suffering. Say: ’I’m so, so sorry you have to overcome this. We’ll cope with it together.’


3.’Just put up with it’

Oh, come on. A person with depression is ALREADY trying to put up with it. He does his best. Every day. Giving such an advice is like saying he failed to do that. Better say: ’You don’t have to cope with it alone. I’ll help you.’


4.’Life goes on’

Well, yes, life’s going on. But when I hear this, I think that my depression doesn’t let me live. Just tell them: ’Your life’s full of things worthy of living for. Let’s explore them together again.’ ’I know how you feel, I’ve had depression once’


5.Don’t you think you’re behaving like an egoist?’

What’s wrong with you? Most likely the depressed person is criticizing himself/herself every minute, so don’t add fuel to the fire. Remember: depression is not a choice. People don’t get there on their own. I want to hear that: ’I miss you so much. What can I do to help you?


6.’Go have fun, have a drink, and forget about it.’

Are you kidding me? How many times do I have to repeat myself? Depression isn’t just a bad day. It’s like thousands of the worst days in a chain, and you can’t see a way to get out of it. No light at the end of the tunnel. At all. Better this way: ’I’d like to spend more time with you. How about a cup of coffee and a heart-to-heart talk?’


7.’Dude, you’re sad trash.’

A depressed person tries every minute to cope with themselves, and tries to get out of this funk. The last thing they want to hear is that they annoy somebody. Better say: ’I don’t like it when you’re so sad. Let’s fix that somehow.’


8.’Why so upset?’

Stop it. Depression’s not always caused by a bad accident. Sometimes it just happens. It doesn’t mean it’s not serious. You should say: ’Sorry I don’t understand why you feel so bad. Don’t worry, I’m here.’


9.’Stop feeling sorry for yourself’

I’m not going to listen to you anymore. Depression and ’feeling sorry for yourself’ are two hugely different things. But, they often go hand in hand. Tell them: ’I see it’s hard for you. What can I do to help you?’


10.’You need to start running’

When you’re depressed, it’s hard to start anything. Better say: ’I need somebody to exercise with me. Let’s go together.’


11.’You’re strong, you’ll cope with it’

Depression makes anyone weak and helpless. Just say: ’Believe in yourself and that you’ll overcome it. You’re not alone, I’ll stand by you.’


12.Illness

And please, don’t forget that depression is a serious illness. If one of your loved ones suffers from it, make sure that he/she will consult a doctor, and stay with him/her in this difficult time.