Depression can be soul destroying with days of unrelenting misery and nights of insomnia. Exhaustion seeps through to your bones and the control you once felt gives way to guilt, shame, and bouts of anger.
Worse, your brain works so poorly that even if you had the energy to reach out for help, you wouldn’t know where to start. Tragically for some, there seems no way out of the black hole other than suicide.
SO, if a mate doesn’t seem to be himself have the guts to say, “You don’t seem to be yourself. How can I help?”
And if you feel crook yourself, see your doctor or talk with someone you trust as this is an illness where early intervention can be as important as it can be for cancer.
You can’t snap out of depression or anxiety any more than you can snap out of cancer.
Here are a few places with excellent advice on depression.
If it’s a younger person you’re trying to help, visit headspace:
https://headspace.org.au/explore-topics/supporting-a-young-person/mental-ill-health/
Healthdirect’s Symptom Checker is a great tool and so easy to use:
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/symptom-checker/wizard/ageDetail
The Black Dog Institute’s Depression self-test is a brilliant multiple-choice quiz that gives people insight into how unwell they may be. Better still, they can print out a copy to take to their doctor:
Of course, if they seem suicidal, never hesitate to call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
You can always learn about how to help someone you are worried about at the Suicide Call Back Service:
https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/worried-about-someone/
Mental Health on Tap 