Can
family and friends help in recovery from depression?
The support and involvement of
family and friends can play a crucial role in helping someone
who is depressed. Individuals in the "support system"
can help by encouraging a depressed loved one to stick with
treatment and to practice the coping techniques and problem-solving
skills he or she is learning through psychotherapy.
Living with a depressed person
can be very difficult and stressful for family members and friends.
The pain of watching a loved one suffer from depression can
fill you with feelings of helplessness and loss. In fact, one
can easily become resentful and critical of the depressed person
because it may seem they are not “trying” to get
better. This is something to watch out for, because such a response
can only add to the depression. What the depressed person needs
most of all is to be reassured and accepted by those people
close to them. If living with a depressed person makes you feel
helpless it is best to seek counseling in how to deal
