How to Properly Support A Friend Struggling With Depression and Anxiety

Being on the outside of a close friend or family struggling with depression or anxiety is difficult. You want to be there for your friend, but you don’t want to say the wrong thing. 

Here’s a guide on how to properly support a friend struggling with depression or anxiety.

Quick disclaimer: You are not responsible for the mental health of your friends or family, and you are no one’s therapist. You should always recommend seeking professional help. This guide is only to help support not fix mental illnesses. 

What to do if someone mentions that they are suicidal or thinking of hurting themselves or others:

1. Call 911 or encourage them to call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255

2. Tell a family member or friend what’s going on right away

3. Never promise to keep their suicidal thoughts and feelings a secret.

4. Offer to help them get to the next steps of treatment. 

Things to say:

1. Acknowledge the person’s illness and the fact that it makes daily life hard for them. 

2. Let them know that you are there for them and are supporting them.

3. Tell them that you’re proud of them for being able to push through daily life.

4. Remind them that they are not a burden, and they are more than their mental illness. 

5. Ask them if there’s anything you can do to help.

6. Reassure them that things can and will get better. 

Things NOT to say:

1. It’s all in your head.

2. Keep your chin up/Stay positive

3. Suck it up

4. You’re overthinking/overreacting

5. Relax/just breathe

6. What’s wrong with you?

7. Get over it 

8. Don’t use words like crazy, psychotic, or mental to describe those struggling with mental illness.

Some signs you should check in with someone’s mental health:

1. They’re socially withdrawn

2. They’re having trouble sleeping

3. They’re acting out of character

4. They’re going through a difficult life event

5. They have big fluctuations in appetite (not eating at all, binge eating)

6. They are disengaged/not enjoying things they were before

For more tips on how to support others struggling with mental illness, visit @realdepresssionproject on Instagram.