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how to help boyfriend
my boyfriend has depression. i feel terrible for him, i'm so in love with him and i was wondering if anyone knows anything i can do to make it better? he's one of those kids that you would never expect to have depression because he has tons of friends and is really outgoing and i just wanna know anything i can do or any advice to help him get through this. we're both 16. thanks soo much.
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Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain. Now before you get pissed at that little comment, let me make it super clear that there is NOTHING wrong with depression.
The only way to treat depression is medication perscribed by a doctor for a person's special case of depression.
Talking to and listening to a depressed person will not cure the person...but it will help. Talking and listening to your boyfriend will be proof to him that someone cares, and may also encourage him to see a doctor about it if he hasn't already, or to start taking medication if he hasn't already.
But, and this is VERY important so listen CLOSELY, do NOT bug him about taking meds, or seeing a doctor, do not tell him what to do to help himself. Often this will make someone with depression feel in a way imprisoned by his disability--medically and mentally depression is considered a disability--and may do more harm than good.
How do I know all this? I'm studying to become a doctor and psychiatrist.
Now, depression is NOT curable. But taking medication will keep depression at bay as long as one stays on their medication. Often someone slips back into a worse and more violent depression because they stop taking their medication because they haven't fealt depressed in a while and feel that they've been completely cured. This is NEVER the case. Make sure he knows this all the time.
Good luck,
JP
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It sounds so simple but the best thing you can do is LISTEN and NEVER judge. Encourage him to be vocal with his teachers, counselors and psychiatrist about how he feels.
Ask him to keep a journal of his thoughts and show it to you frequently. This will show you his state of mind and when adults need to know something isn't right. Bug him about his medication, ask him what it does etc and know his symptoms. This is how you can make sure you are helping.
If I were you I would also ask him to check out what out patient support groups they have for teens at the local hospital with mental health issues or groups that exist outside of it. He may find friends there dealing with the same issues.
If he's depressed and nobody knows this yet than I would encourage him to tell an adult and visit a hospital emergency room and get assessed as sometimes with depression you can't leave it to wait. He would get helped that way.
But it looks like you're being better than a good friend or girlfriend by showing concern and figuring out what you can do. My best advice being BP myself is to LISTEN, NEVER JUDGE and keep your eyes and ears open for anything that looks or sounds wrong to you. Also, don't be afraid to talk to to adults, your parents and his about this either. If something doesn't seem ok about him speak up.
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