When Someone You Know Has Depression – Words to Say and Things to Do

What family members and friends can say and do to help someone who has depression.

Mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder can be devastating to the person who has the disorder and to his or her family. Depression and bipolar disorder affect every aspect of how a person functions, including their thoughts, feelings, actions, and relationships with other people. Family members and close friends are often the first to recognize the subtle changes and symptoms of depression. They are also the ones who provide daily support to their relative or friend, often at great personal cost. They need to know what to say or do to cope with the person’s impaired thinking and fluctuating moods.

In When Someone You Know Has Depression, Dr. Susan J. Noonan draws on first-hand experience of the illness and evidence-based medical information. As a physician she has treated, supported, and educated those living with―and those caring for―a person who has a mood disorder. She also has lived through the depths of her own mood disorder. Here, she has written a concise and practical guide to caring for someone who has depression or bipolar disorder. This compassionate book offers specific suggestions for what to say, how to encourage, and how to act around a loved one―as well as when to back off.

Dr Noonan describes effective communication strategies to use during episodes of depression and offers essential advice for finding appropriate professional help. She also explains how to reinforce progress made in therapy, how to model resilience skills, and how caregivers can and must care for themselves. Featuring tables and worksheets that convey information in an accessible way, as well as references, resources, and a glossary, this companion volume to Dr. Noonan’s patient-oriented Managing Your Depression is an invaluable handbook for readers navigating and working to improve the depression of someone close to them.

Susan J. Noonan, MD, MPH, a part-time Certified Peer Specialist at McLean Hospital, is a consultant to Massachusetts General Hospital and CliGnosis, Inc. She is the author of Managing Your Depression: What You Can Do to Feel Better. Additional resources can be found on her website, www.susannoonanmd.com. Timothy J. Petersen, PhD, is a clinical psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Jonathan E. Alpert, MD, PhD, is an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Andrew A. Nierenberg, MD, is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital.