This is part 2 of the Depression Series. Before you continue reading, here is our disclaimer:

I AM NOT A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL, EVERYTHING I SAY IN THIS ARTICLE IS ALL OPINIONS BUT WITH FACTUAL SOURCES.

Those who have depression cannot just “feel better”. It takes time and effort to help the said person in order to get to them to a point where they’re happy again. For teenagers, helping a depressed friend is not a thing you should do alone. It puts more stress on your shoulders while you focus on school. Furthermore, you may feel worse about doing things without that person. You may feel as if you need to get them included and you’ll feel like they’re being hurt more. You should get more people involved, whether its a counselor, a parent, or more friends, it doesn’t matter; but you have to make sure that the person(s) you get involved have the ability to help in a positive way to help them feel better.

Even if the depressed or suicidal person says that they don’t want you to get anyone else involved, it would be better to get at least one other person to help them and you. The task is a lot of stress for just one person to have on their shoulders. If you’re stressed, that just makes the situation worse for everyone involved since you will eventually burn out all your patience and energy.  may say something that could ruin your friendship and that person’s trust in you to help them through it. If you agree to help a person who has confided in you about their depression, but you don’t know how best to help them, you should go on websites and research depression and suicide and learn what to do. This will give you a better understanding of the mental illness and what more you can do to aid the victim in their recovery. Here are some things I found online that you could maybe use to help a friend or family member in need:

• Give them hope. Depending on their religion or someone or thing they love you could use those to instill hope in them.
• Be there for them, become a shoulder to cry on for them or just listen while they spill their heart out to you.
• Ask questions to find the cause of their depression. Do not press too much, however.
• Encourage them to find a support group or more people to assist.
• Use humor and make them laugh. They say laughter is the best medicine and in this case, it may help them cheer up for the day.
• Do not make them feel belittled. Saying things such as, “You’re just too thin-skinned,” can make them feel more ashamed about their depression and ignore the fact that it’s a mental illness and not a personality flaw.