Are you a family or friend to someone who is experiencing depression? The support of friends and family can play a very important role in someone recovering from depression. Family and friend support makes one feel less alone or isolated. Here are some tips for you;

• Be open about depression; Keep an open mind – A lot of people find it hard to open up and speak about how they are feeling. Try to be open about depression and difficult emotions, so your friend or family member knows that it is okay to talk about what they are experiencing.
• Do not be critical. If you have not experienced depression yourself, it can be hard to understand why your friend or family member cannot just ‘snap out of it’. Try not to blame them or put too much pressure on them to get better straight away. Your loved one is probably being very critical and harsh towards themselves already.
• Support them to get help. You cannot force anyone to get help if they don’t want it, so it’s important to reassure your loved one that it is okay to ask for help and that there is help out there.
• Keep in touch. It might be hard for your loved one to have the energy to keep up contact, so try to keep in touch. Even just a text message or email to let them know that you are thinking of them can make a big difference to how someone feels.
• Keep a balance. If someone is struggling, you might feel like you should take care of everything for them. While it might be useful to offer to help them do things, like keep on top of the housework or cook healthy meals, it is also important to encourage them to do things for themselves. Everyone will need different support, so talk to your friend or family member about what they might find useful to have your help with, and identify things they can try to do themselves.
• Take care of yourself. Your mental health is important too and looking after someone else could put a strain on your wellbeing. Take time off if you need to. Talk to a friend or professional about what you are going through.