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- What is depression?
- Symptoms of depression
- Causes of depression
- Prevention of depression
- Risk factors for depression
- Complications of depression
- When to see a doctor about depression
- Diagnosis of depression
- Conventional treatment of depression
- Alternative/complementary treatment of depression
- Living with depression
- Caring for someone with depression
Caring for someone with depression
Partner
If you have a partner who has been diagnosed with depression, there are a number of strategies you can use to help them:
- Avoid alcohol - try not to have too much alcohol in the house, as alcohol can be detrimental to your partner's symptoms, which may become much worse during the hangover the next day. Besides this, alcohol is only a salve that your partner uses to try to cover his/her problems and this is only going to prolong the depression
- Encourage your partner to eat healthily - a number of nutrient deficiencies have been identified that can cause depression and low mood symptoms, so try to encourage your partner to eat a healthy diet with lots of fresh produce, nuts, seeds, legumes and olive oil and ensure they have enough fish each week (about 3 times a week and only the deep sea, ocean oily fish such as salmon, sardine, trout). Make sure you help your partner cook (or cook for them) to encourage the healthier diet. Use processed foods as little as possible and you should see an improvement in their symptoms (plus a more healthy family)
- Encourage your partner to socialise - if you have a partner who is depressed, they may feel very isolated, even if they are living with you and the rest of the family, so you need to gently, but insistently encourage them to socialise with other people; with you, the family and their friends. This will help your partner because they know that they have your support and it will help them feel less isolated and alone, which in turn can help to reduce their symptoms of depression
- Inform yourself about depression - try to get as much information about depression from your partner's doctor (go with your partner to some of their appointments), from your partner and from qualified resources (both books and online) to help you understand what your partner is going through, so you can be as sensitive to them as much as you possibly can be
- Support - it is really important that your partner has your complete support and understanding. Depression is a very debilitating illness, irrespective of whether it is caused by nutritional deficiency or due to abnormal brain chemistry and your understanding is needed so that you do not make them feel worse for suffering from depression
- Talk to your partner - ask your partner if they would like to talk over any issues with you and try not to judge, as that will only make your partner less inclined to talk to you and feel more isolated from you. Just listen and let your partner talk out their issues. If you feel overwhelmed by this strategy, you can always encourage your partner (in a gentle and non-confronting way) to talk to a professional, which is now partly covered by Medicare, who may be in a better position to help your partner deal with their issues and depression
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Friends
If you have a friend who has been diagnosed with depression, there are a number of strategies you can use to help them:
- Encourage your friend to socialise - it would be really beneficial for your friend if you gently, but insistently encourage them to socialise with you and their other friends. This helps your friend in two ways: (1) they know that you care and (2) they feel less isolated. Encouraging your friend to socialise with you may help them on their road to recovery
- Inform yourself about depression - especially if you are not familiar with depression yourself, it would be useful if you can inform yourself about depression from books and reputable online resources, so that you can try to understand at least a little of what your friend is going through with this illness
- Support - it is important that your friend has your support, that you are there if they need you and that you wont judge them harshly or tell them to "get over it", because that is unhelpful. Just be there for your friend, to help them on their road to recovery from this illness
Parents
If you have a child who has been diagnosed with depression, there are a number of strategies you can use to help them:
- Encourage healthy eating - as there are a number of nutritional deficiencies associated with depression, it would be very beneficial for your child if you encourage healthier eating by preparing more fresh food and using fresh produce daily. Try to encourage your child to eat a healthy diet with lots of fresh produce, nuts, seeds, legumes and olive oil and ensure they have enough fish each week (about 3 times a week and only the deep sea, ocean oily fish such as salmon, sardine, trout)
- Inform yourself about depression - especially if you are not familiar with depression yourself, it would be useful if you can inform yourself about depression from books and reputable online resources, so that you can try to understand at least a little of what your child is going through with this illness
- Side effects to medication - if your child has to take any medication, make sure you reinforce the need for reporting any side effects they may experience, irrespective of how insignificant they may be
- Support - it is important that your child has your support, that you are there if they need you and that you wont judge them harshly or tell them to "get over it", because that is unhelpful. Just be there for your child, to help them on their road to recovery from this illness
- Talk to your child - make time to talk to your child, but don't try to force them to make conversation with you if they are not ready to do so, just let them know that you are available to talk in a non-judgmental, non-confrontational manner, so that it encourages your child to open up to you. Talking to your child will help improve your relationship and create a really nice bond between you
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< living with depression Last reviewed: 24 January 2009 || Last updated: 21 March 2009
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NOTE: Mega doses of any type of vitamin, mineral, amino acid or herbal supplement cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of complementary supplements.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.
