Help Someone I Love Is Depressed

A practical guide to helping your loved one cope with depression while protecting your own mental health. Many books have been written for those suffering from depression. But what if you’re suffering because someone you love is depressed? Research shows that if you are close to a depressed person, you are at a much higher risk of developing problems yourself, including anxiety, phobias, and even a kind of contagious depression. In this authoritative and compassionate book, psychologists Laura Epstein Rosen and Cavier Francisco Amador explain the mechanisms of depression that can cause communication breakdown, increase hostility, and ultimately destroy relationships. Through compelling real-life stories and step-by-step advice, the authors teach concrete methods that you and your loved one can use to protect yourselves and your relationship from depression’s impact. Drawing on their own innovative research, the authors give sensitive guidance about how to recognize your needs, how to provide the best kind of support, and how to encourage the depressed person to seek treatment. Whether you are the partner, parent, friend, or child of a depressed person, you’ll find this book and invaluable companion in you journey back to health.

A clinical psychologist and expert on depression updates the book that has helped thousands with its combination of professional advice and comfort There are few circumstances in life as hard and at the same time as important as being a friend to a person who is suffering from depression. What to Do When Someone You Love Is Depressed offers guidance to the friends and family of a depressed person on how to keep one's own spirits up and at the same time do what is best to help a loved one get through a difficult time. Among the many subjects addressed are • the warning signs of serious illness • how to maintain intimacy and communication • the most successful forms of treatment • what to do when someone threatens suicide This updated edition addresses readers' questions and provides new and expanded information on • how to choose the right psychiatrist • the role and limits of medication • resistant depression • the link between depression and chronic illness • specific challenging situations and advice on handling them

Each year more than 17 million Americans suffer from a depressive illness, yet few suffer in solitude. How You Can Survive When They're Depressed explores depression from the perspective of those who are closest to the sufferers of this prevalent disorder--spouses, parents, children, and lovers--and gives the successful coping strategies of many people who live with a clinical depressive or manic-depressive and often suffer in silence, believing their own problems have no claim to attention. Depression fallout is the emotional toll on the depressive's family and close friends who are unaware of their own stressful reactions and needs. Sheffield outlines the five stages of depression fallout: confusion, self-doubt, demoralization, anger, and finally, the desire to escape. Many people will find relief in the knowledge that their self-blame, guilt, sadness, and resentment are a natural result of living with a depressed person. Sheffield brings together many real-life examples from the pioneering support group she attends at Beth Israel Medical Center of how people with depression fallout have learned to cope. From setting boundaries to maintaining an outside social life, she gives practical tactics for handling the challenges and emotional stresses on a day-to-day basis.

Discusses what depression is and how it can be recognized in family members and friends and examines some of the methods for treatment.

It is of enormous value to the layperson, hungry for knowledge about how best to interact and help their loved one face the dreadful ravages of depression."—Nursing Times

“This compassionate, helpful book will bring hope and comfort to the loved ones of those who struggle to overcome the most common of mental illnesses.”—Rosalynn Carter When someone you love is depressed . . . . . . you feel lost, afraid, confused. . . . you long for the person who was. . . . you don’t recognize who he or she has become. . . . you feel shut out. . . . you feel angry and frustrated. . . . you feel drained. . . . you are desperate for a way to connect. . . . you feel guilty and alone. . . . you will do anything to help. “What motivates me now is to share with you what I've learned about how to cope when someone you love is depressed. What I have discovered from years of training and from having counseled hundreds of families who have shared their sorrows and their joys is that there are ways you can help someone you love who is depressed. And in that process, you will grow closer.”—from What to Do When Someone You Love is Depressed

Shake the blues away. Everyone knows that depression can lead to guilt, sadness, frustration, and in the case of 15-20% of people with depression, suicide. Because we live in a culture that rewards (and often worships) productivity, when a depressed person can't meet the expectations of society, the depression becomes worse and a vicious cycle begins. The goal of Getting Things Done When You're Depressed is to break this cycle. Readers will learn: - How to prepare yourself mentally for working while depressed - How to structure your environment so you can work more easily - How to work with others - How to prevent depression

Dealing with an anxiety disorder is hard, but loving someone with an anxiety disorder can be equally as difficult. If your partner suffers from extreme anxiety, they may have panic attacks, constantly be voicing their worried thoughts, or may not be able to participate in social events because of a fear of social settings. No matter how compassionate you are, you may sometimes feel frustrated, unable to help, and even find your own life restricted—all of which can lead to conflict, resentment, miscommunication, and ultimately, an end to the relationship altogether. Loving Someone with Anxiety is one of the few books written specifically for the partners of people with anxiety disorders. The book is designed not only to aid you in helping your partner cope with anxiety and worry, but also to help you take care of your own needs. Inside, you’ll learn the importance of setting healthy boundaries, limiting codependent behaviors, and why taking over roles that make your partner anxious—such as answering the phone, driving, or doing the grocery shopping because your partner feels too anxious to be in public—can be extremely damaging for the both of you. Codependency in relationships with an anxious partner can lead to resentment, anger, and a sense of helplessness on your side. This book will help you and your partner overcome these negative behaviors, build better communication and a stronger personal connection. Written by a licensed professional counselor who specializes in helping the partners of those with mental illnesses, this book is the resource that you have been looking for to help you understand your anxious partner and keep anxiety from sabotaging your relationship.