I have a friend that is really depressed.I tried asking him why he is depressed.He doesn't want to tell me.He asked me for advice on how to happy.I really need help.This is argent! Please, can someone please give me some advice

1. Tell him that whenever he want's to talk that you're here to listen, no matter what it is.

2. Do some walks/activities together to brighten the mood a bit and stay close to him.

3. I do not know if something realy bad happend to him (in the past) that drags him down, caused by a disorder or simply the lack of something to do that makes him depressed. In any case just be there and show him that, not just with words. Maybe He'll open up that way. Maybe he thinks it is not big enough of a deal to talk about it which makes him more depressed because he thinks he is weak.

4. If the depression is servere ( I do not know him, this is up to you but I recommend it) ask him if he has suicidal thoughts. It is proven that asking this question won't make people do it but rather talk about it if they already have those thought. This sounds harsh but it is not uncommon for depressed people to have thouse thoughts. Look for signs like sleeping problems, bad hygene and over all the absence of any self worth and the lack of taking care of himself.

5. Be careful that he doesn't try to find a quck fix such as alcohol, pills and stuff like that.

6. Act calm if ha talks to you about something that scares you/sounds kind of crazy to you and do not judge him for some things he does that you do not like. If it should come to a situation like that say that you think that some of the stuff (adress the subject direcly and prepare for a discussion that might not be easy) he does is not okey, that (if you can name examples and truley realte, do not fake it) you can realte but be clear about the fact that you wish he wouldn't do it because he means something/a lot to you.

Now I hope I could help you a bit. If you Have any questions feels free to ask :)

>>2 I agree this method good.
As long you're there for your friend there's still a possibility he'll open up to you. Spend enough time with him as much as possible hopefully he doesn't push you away. If so tell him it's ok you don't mind helping him at all he's important to you as a friend. Make sure he doesn't feel alone or isolate himself. Good luck.

_Lighter_ and Akina
Thank you sooo much for your advice.I will try and out and see what happens ^^

>>2 I agree, since it can strengthen a bond.

>>1 You should probably just tell him you're there for him and that you'll listen to anything he says. If he says he wants some space, give him some space. You have to respect that. I love that you want to help your friend this badly...

>>5
The reason in most cases you want to make sure they're not suicidal. Depression can lead to many problems and habits as well that's why it's not recommend to give space too long.

NEVER ask a depressed person why they're depressed.
If you know what is his dream, you can try to help him make his dream come true. At least it helped me.

Sometimes being depressed you just can't point out what makes you so sad. Two things got me through it; first I have two friends who helped me a lot, they did'nt ask if I needed help, they DRAGGED me to my friends place, which in turn helped. The secound thing that helped was focusing on what made me happy at the time, so every saturday I went out and played cards with some other nerds, it helped me a lot, and to get there I had to motivate myself. But most importantly, it gave me something to look foreward to. the single worst thing a depressed person can do is to be alone, sure some privacy is needed, but loneliness is just the worst.

My only advice; try to be social with him, maybe drag him outside, not for something huge, just a walk in the park maybe. And try to make him focus on people or hobbies that make him happy.

I agree with Nickolaj, But check if your friends are social or not since they might think that you're just dragging him because you want to, not because you try and help him.