Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses, yet most Nigerian don’t know how to deal with it. Here’s how to handle being a friend to a depressed person.
Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses, yet most Nigerian don’t know how to deal with it. Here’s how to handle being a friend to a depressed person.
Depression is a very delicate state of mind
and it takes caution to deal with it. so, how do you deal with a friend
with severe depression? Here are three tips to guide you:
Forgiveness:
One
of the landmarks of depression is that the symptoms often seem like
choices, such as your friend not reaching out to say hi. Once you
understand that you are not being targeted but are rather collateral
damage from what your friend is going through, then you won’t demand an
apology from them. However, depressed people can do wrong in the usual
ways that usual people do.
True friendship:
Keep
in touch, however make it absolutely easy for the person to refuse your
contact. For example, you could include in your messages, “No need to
call/text back — I just wanted to say hi.” If you see something that
reminds you of her, send it, but include a note: “I saw this and thought
of you — no need to get back to me.” Removing that duty to respond
upfront lets the pure caring shine through.
Both ways:
It’s
a great idea that you don’t owe each other any apologies, however, when
you do, it reminds you that you care about each other. However, it does
need to be a mutual effort. On one hand, the extra mile is to apologize
for the other’s misery, although it wasn’t intentional. On the other
hand, the extra mile is not waiting for an apology from someone who went
through a truly crazy experience.
If you do have
a friend or relation who is battling depression, it is a truly serious
disease that demands your attention, sensitivity, care and love. Try out
these steps and let us know what you think.
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