5 Things to Do (And Not Do) to Support Someone with Depression

Depression is a drag. Everyone who has it experiences it differently, but we all agree that it sucks.

Sometimes, however, I wonder if people who don’t have it understand – like really truly understand – just how overwhelmingly painful it is.

For example, while it seems that people most commonly use the term to express fleeting feelings of sadness or disappointment, depression is actually a chronic physical illness with symptoms that are mostly invisible.

And although we’ve come a long way in our ability to treat it, we still don’t really know what causes it or why treatments work and don’t work.

It’s an exasperating disease to live with because being sad or frustrated or sleepless or numb for long, repetitive periods of time is exhausting – especially when you can’t prove to anyone that you’re really sick.

Even if your depression is manageable enough for you to leave the house, it can affect everything in your life.

It can interfere with your productivity, or even just the way you seem to your superiors at work – which has consequences for your performance reviews and ultimately the stability of your employment.

It can make your loved ones and friends want to be around you less because many people dislike the kind of negativity depressed people can become steeped in.

In its worst form, depression can lead to death. It’s a serious and draining disease to live with.

In a broad sense, fortunately, having depression doesn’t make you quite the social pariah it used to.