How to help a depressed friend

    HERE ARE SOME SIGNS OF DEPRESSION:

1. There's no interest in school and grades fall.

     2. Being with friends holds absolutely no appeal.

     3. Sleep problems are common--either not being able to fall asleep at night or wanting to sleep all day.

     4. Appetite is out of whack. There's either no desire for food, or the person seems to be eating all the time.

     5. The person is obsessed with thoughts of death, maybe suicide. It's estimated that 15 percent of people with major depression commit suicide, and many more attempt it. There are 6,000 suicides by adolescents each year, and depression is the biggest risk factor.

     6. Everything seems hopeless, and there's the feeling it will never get better.

     7. Headaches, stomachaches, or other aches and pains appear.

     8. It's impossible to concentrate or make a decision.

HOW DEPRESSION FEELS; BY: MYESHA EDWARDS

Depression is more than felling sad, it is an everyday event that consumes you. It hurts you physically and mentally. It feels like your being swallowed into a dark cloud only you cannot scream out to anyone because all your energy and life has been drained. Sooner or later you just do not care anymore. You attempt to reach out for help but your just so tired, and not physically tired, just tired of everything. This tired feeling is the one that leads most to suicide; you get sick of eating, finished talking, done with all the fake smiling, and soon done living. Depression is something most cannot understand unless they feel it for themselves.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO TO HELP:

     1. Make an effort to be with your friend, even though it might not be easy. Depressed people tend to feel isolated.

     2. Don't use false cheerfulness. Your friend may feel you aren't taking the problem seriously.

     3. Don't blame. Depression is no one's fault.

     4. Don't get angry. It's nothing personal if your friend doesn't respond to your help.

     5. Express your own feelings. If you don't want to listen to your friend's woes again, just say so. Go out and have fun and don't feel guilty.

     6. Get adult help. If your friend talks about suicide, or you're worried for any other reason, talk to your parents, your friend's parents, your school counselor. It's not a breach of loyalty to save a friend's life.

Arbetter, Sandra. Depression: Way Beyond The Blues. 16 March 2011 <http://discoverer.prod.sirs.com.wf2dnvr15.webfeat.org/discoweb/disco/do/article?urn=urn%3Asirs%3AUS%3BARTICLE%3BART%3B0000025032 >.