Quote:
Originally Posted by IHaveThreePair
gobbo,
I have a close friend (best man at my wedding) who seems to be stuck in a rut. He hates to talk about it.
He's always been a bit of a shy social type - he will always give the "I'm not feeling good" response when we were supposed to head out with friends and play on his Xbox.
My friends are convinced that he is suffering from some sort of depression, but we're finding it very awkward to approach it with him.
any advice?
To some degree, he has to be able to help himself. If he doesn't want to cooperate, there's likely not much you can do. You said you're very close, so it seems likely that he would trust you if you just sit him down in a private manner and asked him straight out if he's doing okay and say that he seems down recently and might look into seeing someone. Offer to help find someone and make it so that he's not doing it alone. Part of the insidious nature of depression is it makes you unable to do things that seem easy to other people through absolute lack of motivation to change or better yourself. If life is pointless, why try to make mine better? Someone has to be there for you.
Most important thing is to make it private. Don't tell other people you're doing it. Don't make it seem like it's a bad thing. Getting help is a great thing and should be treated as such. It's fine to be introverted, but it's not good to be completely antisocial all the time. Take it slowly and be ready to help him.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rexx14
I think it's important to note how difficult depression can be on partners and families of the person who is depressed. They are often overlooked when they have to deal with a lot.
I hope you manage to see the light also. Depression is a tough gig.
Totally agreed. That's one reason I made this thread: I wanted a place to talk about my own problems without subjecting a few friends to all my venting. It's hard to hear it day after day.
It feels impossible to be 'cured' of clinical depression, but there are good ways to manage the symptoms. Recognition is the first step.