Being a Caregiver for Someone Who is depressed

August 13, 2019

Dr. Srikanth Reddy

#Best Psychiatrist in Indore

#Best Psychologist and De-Addiction Specialist in Indore

Helping a friend or loved one with depression can be challenging. For many people with depression, the symptoms are severe enough to reason problems with day-to-day activities (e.g., attending school or getting to work each day), but others might feel miserable or overwhelmed without knowing why. If someone in your life has depression, whether or not that person has a diagnosis, you might feel at a loss for how to best support that person.

The most significant step toward helping a loved one with depression is to understand the symptoms. The course of major depressive disorder is variable, and symptoms vary from person to person. Familiarizing yourself with the possible symptoms will help you better understand what your loved one is experiencing.

Symptoms of major depressive disorder

The essential feature of a major depressive episode is a period of at least two weeks marked by either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities. In children and adolescents, the mood is more likely to present as irritable as sad.

Other symptoms can include the following:

• Significant weight loss or weight gain due to changes in appetite
• Psychomotor agitation (restlessness) or retardation (slowed down)
• Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
• Difficulty thinking or concentrating or indecisiveness nearly every day
• Feelings of sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness
• Angry outbursts and irritability
• Insomnia or hypersomnia
• Loss of interest in normal daily activities (sports, interests, even sexual activity)

Encourage treatment

People with depression might not acknowledge that they’re struggling. Lack of awareness about symptoms of depression can reason people to consider their feelings normal or dismiss them as a time-limited struggle. The stigma of seeking treatment for depression can also reason people to attempt to overcome treatment independently.

Depression seldom gets better without treatment, and it can actually worsen over time. Research shows that both antidepressant medications and cognitive therapy are effective in alleviating symptoms.

Be helpful

Depression can make everyday tasks, like driving and grocery shopping, feel impossible. Ask your loved one how you can help in small ways:

• Help schedule appointments
• Grocery shop and do other tasks with your friend
• Offer to take walks together a few times a week
• Ask if you can help around the house
• Offer to go watch movies or get out of the house together

Crisis intervention

The risk of suicide exists at all times during major depressive episodes. The most consistent risk factor is a past history of suicide attempts, but most complete suicides are not preceded by unsuccessful attempts. Living alone, being male, and having prominent feelings of hopelessness also increase the risk of suicide.

Take care of yourself

Caring for a loved one with depression can be complicated and overwhelming. Be sure to attend to your own personal requirements, create appropriate boundaries, and seek help from a therapist or support group.