Depression:Caring for a Depressed Person
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What You Need to Know
Video: Perspectives on Caring for a Depressed Person
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Therapy Is an OutletSingle mom needs a place to "spew"
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Therapy Gave Her DistanceIt was scary, but it wasn't real
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Ask If They're Suicidal"It won't put ideas in their heads"
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I Was On Suicide Watch"Can you kill me?"
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Family Therapist Barry Jacobs Talks About How to Care for Someone with Depression
Barry Jacobs, Psy.D.
Clinical psychologist and family therapist
Q: I think I am taking on my depressed partner's symptoms. Is there any evidence that depression is contagious?
A: Major depression is not contagious, though caregivers can become miserable, which could potentially influence your mood or make you feel depressed. Read More
A: Major depression is not contagious, though caregivers can become miserable, which could potentially influence your mood or make you feel depressed. Read More
10 Things to Say (and 10 Not to Say) to Someone With Depression
Do offer support; don't say, "I know just how you feel"
People with depression have a litany of complaints about the misguided empathy they get from others. "People still have such a cloudy idea of what mental illness is," says Kathleen Brannon, of Herndon, Va... Read More
How to Care for Someone Who Is Suicidal
How to offer real help when someone you love is hitting bottom
Depression tends to come back, especially if it's not treated or is only partially treated. Sometimes the people who live with a depressed person are better at spotting the signs of a recurrence sooner than the person himself. Increasing isolation is often a clue, as is sadness, expressions of worthlessness or guilt, and sleeping or eating too much or too little. If you've seen this pattern before, you know... Read More
