This is a really good article from Clever about how to help someone you’re living with deal with depression, especially during the lockdown. It has some great suggestions and I urge everyone to go read it.
However, I have a minor issue with the article. It already assumes that the person trying to help someone with depression already understands depression. In my personal experience, I’ve found that too many people don’t understand.
The first thing anybody should understand about depressions is that it’s an illness just like any other illness. To tell someone with depression to ‘cheer up’ is like telling a cancer patient to just stop having cancer.
Also, you shouldn’t take it personally if the person you’re trying to help is depressed. Some of us have very little control of when we’re having a severe bout of depression so if the person you’re helping isn’t having better moods, that’s not your fault.
Lastly, everyone’s depression is different. What may have helped one person may not be effective for another. In the end, what a lot of us really want is just compassion and understanding.
The Trench Reynolds Report 