My blogging buddy, James Bishop, over at “Finding Optimism,” wrote an excellent post entitled “12 Ways to Care for a Depressed Person.” I’ll give you the first three, and then go over there yourself to get the others. It’s worth it.

The person with depression usually can’t see a way forward. They may fervently believe that nobody can help them, and life is pointless. That doesn’t mean that they’re right, and there are plenty of things that you can do to help.

The type and amount of care that you can give will depend on your relationship with the person, but here are some ideas.
1. Understand the illness.
Learn all that you can about depression. The better you grasp the illness, the more effective you will be in giving your care and understanding. It will help you to understand why the person behaves the way they do, and better equip you to respond appropriately.
2. Seek Appropriate Treatment
This is such a far-reaching, wide-ranging topic that I would be foolish to give advice. Suffice to say that it will be helpful for you to explore the treatment options available in your area and suggest to the person that they need professional help. It might be helpful for them if you go along to the first or subsequent appointments.
If he or she won’t admit their illness then explain why you are concerned and perhaps provide them with some helpful written information to chew over.
3. Provide Emotional Support
Your partner or friend needs patience, care and understanding. They have a real illness, and just like someone with cancer they can’t just “snap out of it”. If they could, they would. Saying things that show ignorance about the illness is counterproductive and will reinforce their negative thinking.
The best way to communicate is to empathize, listen more than talk, and ask questions like “How can I support you?” or “How can I help?”