Help Another
What is good about “Helping Another” with Depression?
Whether you are in Depression or someone else you know is, Helping Another with their Depression can help you to better understand your own Depression and even see that maybe your problems are not as bad as they seem whilst you ate showing Another the same thing. Helping Another can make you feel more positive about yourself as doing good makes you feel good and helps the other person to feel more valued in life which can raise their self-esteem. Remember, everyone has value and deserves to be helped.
How do I “Help Another” with Depression?
To “Help Another” with Depression you have to KNOW THE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION, SHOW THEM SUPPORT and URGE THEM TO SEEK HELP. Each of these things has been broken down in the tabs above.
What are the “Symptoms of Depression”?
The “Symptoms of Depression” are the indicators that someone in depressed. In short, the symptoms are all to do with changes in someone’s character, that they don’t seem to be acting like their normal self. These can be both big changes which are easy to spot and subtle changes which can may not seem as noticeable. Down below, you can find a list of the most common “Symptoms of Depression”.
Loss of Interests
The first symptom that you are likely to see is a Loss of Interests. If someone normally has a hobby or activity they do regularly but you notice that they don’t feel like doing it and are pushing it aside, this is a “Loss of Interests”. They will lack the motivation to do the things they like to do, not want to leave home and even struggle to do basic life things in life such as cook, clean and take care of their personal hygiene. The worst example of this symptom is that the person may struggle to get out of bed.
Change in Sleep Patterns
If someone is sleeping more than they would usually and would rather stay in bed instead, this is a Change in Sleep Patterns. People in Depression may sleep more because they don’t want to face the world choosing sleep as a form of safety as they don’t have to think whilst asleep. If someone is sleeping less and is waking/getting up earlier than normal, this is also a Change in Sleep Patterns. People in Depression may sleep less as they can’t stop thinking about their problems preventing their minds from switching off. They also tend to wake up early subconsciously meaning they can’t control it normally.
Changes in Appetite
Changes in Appetite are a more physical sign of Depression. People in Depression might eat more than usual because people will be too Depressed to put in the effort to cook meaning they will order/buy unhealthy foods, at worse it will lead to weight gain. People in Depression might eat less than usual as their mind will be overloaded with Depressing thoughts that they won’t feel hungry, at worse it will lead to weight loss. Changes in weight (gain or loss) can lead to serious health problems if not dealt with.
Anger or Frustration
When people are in Depression, they don’t know how to deal with it. This tend to show itself through “Anger” and “Frustration”. People with Depression Anger because they need a way to vent out their emotions and Anger is the most natural emotion to respond with as Depression is part of our human instincts we have had since the days of cavemen. People with Depression get Frustrated as they can’t find a way out of their Depression which can lead to feelings of Hopelessness and Worthlessness.
Feeling Hopelessness or Worthlessness
Hopelessness is where people have lost their hope and feel that they don’t have future for themselves leading to them to feel that their lives are worthless. Worthlessness is where people feel they have nothing that they can contribute to the world or to those around them leading them to feel nothing is worth trying. If left unchecked, Hopelessness and Worthlessness can lead to people feeling that their lives are not worth living which can lead to them having Suicidal Thoughts.
Suicidal Thoughts
This is the worst symptom of Depression. People with Suicidal Thoughts no longer see life is worth living and want to end their own lives (kill themselves). It is such a horrible thing to be witness too and deal with but this happens to a lot of people. People with Suicidal Thoughts express them through self-harming or overdosing on drugs/alcohol which requires immediate action to be taken but others can be more subtle in their thoughts as they may seem happy or accepting after a while of feeling so negative, this is very dangerous as they have already planned their suicide meaning they are more likely to actually do it.
How do I “Show Them Support”?
When people are in Depression, you need to “Show Them Support” as no deserves or needs to be trapped in Depression. To “Show Them Support” lets them know they are wanted and that the world is better off with them in it. Down below are some of the ways you can “Show Them Support.
Reassure Them
The first thing to do is Reassure Them that Depression is normal, they are not the only one with Depression and there are more people in the world with Depression than without it. Next, Reassure Them that Depression is not permanent, they will get through it, it will go and they deserve to be happy. Finally, Reassure Them that there are people such as yourself and others who are willing to help them through Depression meaning they don’t have to deal with it alone.
One Day at a Time
When someone is stuck in Depression, their mind will be overloaded with thoughts about how to deal with life currently and how they could have lived their past. It is important to honestly tell them that they can’t change the past and thinking about it will make them feel worse. Instead, encourage them to live in the present and take each day One Day at a Time, as this will give them time to workout what is making them feel depressed, remember who they are/what they want to be and help them to rebuild their life.
Help them Return to Routine
A lot of people have a Routine which they let fall part when suffering with Depression. Helping people back into their Routine can help them regain control of their lives. To do this, you should focus on getting them back into one part of their Routine at a time- this could be returning to a hobby they stopped doing, it could be getting out the house to walk or socialise. Remember, this should be done in parts as they will need time to re-adapt and pushing too quickly could make their Routine fall apart again resetting any progress made.
Give them a Way to Contact You
Exchange phone numbers with the person you are trying to help so they know someone cares about them, they are not alone and that there is someone they can talk to. They may contact you a lot as a result of this but know that they appreciate your help even if they calling so much. You could also set up a What’s App or Messenger chat as these allow you to use Wi-Fi for phone conversations saving you and the person money on your phone bills.
Check in on Them
Although they may call you a lot in some cases, in other cases they may not contact you at all so you should Check in on them to make sure they are alright, don’t assume they are okay until you can ACTUALLY SEE that they are okay because if they are not contacting you much, they may be in danger of doing something self harmful. Checking in lets the person know that someone cares and demonstrates to the person that they are worthwhile in life.
How do I “Urge Them to Seek Help”?
To “Urge Them to Seek Help” you need to be honest with yourself and the Depressed person that you can’t help them alone and that further help is needed. Down below, you can find a list of suggestions of places that can provide the help needed.
Emergency Services
If the Depressed person has harmed themselves through self-harm or overdosing on drugs/alcohol, then you MUST CALL 999 or emergency services immediately; even if they have not harmed themselves but you feel they are in danger of harming themselves of others you MUST still call. If you find that the emergency services are not going to respond in time to help the Depressed person then you MUST take the person to A&E at your Local Hospital, yourself, immediately, as the risk it just too high to leave the person in this state for too long.
Doctor/GP
If they are not at risk of self-harming or harming others, then the first thing to do is contact their Doctor and make an appointment. When the time of the appointment comes, you should go with the person to see the Doctor to make sure that they go and so they don’t feel alone in asking for help from the Doctor. The Doctor will likely recommend 2 things: Councilling or Medication.
Counselling
Counselling should be the first option considered as it allows the person to properly confront the problems causing their Depression and learn to better deal with it. Counselling involves sitting down with a licensed Counsellor to talk about psychological problems in strict confidence. Counsellors are professionals in helping people deal with psychological problems knowing how the mind works so these are the best people to talk to. The only problem is that there are waiting lists of other people also seeking help so be patient.
Medication
Medication is another option that a Doctor can recommend. Medication involves taking a tablet that increases the chemicals in the brain such as Dopamine and Serotonin which regulate your mood to help you to feel happier and more positive. As Aspie Heroes are not medical professionals, we cannot recommend what Medications to take; this is something that must be recommended by the Doctor to ensure the right help is given.
Other Support
It may help to look into other types of support that a Depressed Person can have regular access to. These kinds of support can include Helplines, Support Workers and Social Activities. A good Helpline to talk to is The Samaritans which you can access by calling 116123. For any further help such as Support Workers and Social Activities, use the link below to access the Aspie Heroes Further Support Directory which has plenty of groups for you to contact for help.
Help them to Help themselves
Although it is great to be there to help people when they are in need, the person MUST WANT TO HELP themselves otherwise all the help you will try to give them will be all for nothing as they will ignore it. Make sure that the person is willing to help themselves by being willing to take the steps necessary to get help and be helped.