friend is suffering depression but is not getting help... what should i do?
Posted: Thu May 02, 2019 10:20 am
My friend was hospitalized for a few days and diagnosed with depression. He had been suffering from insomnia for about half a year before that.
After going home from the hospital he stopped working, he had seen a few psychologist & psychiatrist but he felt like they don’t understand him, and also every time he visit a new psychologist/psychiatrist he needs to tell them his story all over again and the process was exhausting. After the hospitalization episode I noticed he is not as articulate as he used to be, and just seems to be in a very confused / anxious state all the time. Now he is just not getting any professional help at all, and head spinning negative thoughts all day long. He worried that he will never be normal again and wouldn’t be able to support his family (he is married, and support his mom, who has bipolar).
I told him he needs to get profession help, take med etc. But he said he had seen the side effect of med has on his mom and doesn’t go that route. When he was hospitalized they gave him med, but he said those med made him couldn’t talk, can’t think straight, so he doesn’t want to take the med. And I said maybe just start with psychologist, but he would say he doesn’t think just talking can help him. So he just ended up doing nothing, sitting at home and letting the negative thoughts downward spiral.
I’m no depression expert, never know anyone personally that suffer from it. This is the first time for me. I feel like he really need to be seeing a psychiatrist, be on the some medical to get out of the downward spiral… But he is not willing to do that. I have been doing a little reading and seems like inability to seek help is not uncommon in ppl suffering depression… I’m really worrying about him, as a friend what can I do? Do I have to physically cajole / escort him to see some psychiatrists? When his wife ask him to get help he wouldn’t listen. I feel like sometimes maybe someone would listen better to a friend than a spouse...
Anyways I’m a noob, just joined this website to start to get some ideas who has experience in this… I’m open to any idea / suggestion. Thanks in advance...
After going home from the hospital he stopped working, he had seen a few psychologist & psychiatrist but he felt like they don’t understand him, and also every time he visit a new psychologist/psychiatrist he needs to tell them his story all over again and the process was exhausting. After the hospitalization episode I noticed he is not as articulate as he used to be, and just seems to be in a very confused / anxious state all the time. Now he is just not getting any professional help at all, and head spinning negative thoughts all day long. He worried that he will never be normal again and wouldn’t be able to support his family (he is married, and support his mom, who has bipolar).
I told him he needs to get profession help, take med etc. But he said he had seen the side effect of med has on his mom and doesn’t go that route. When he was hospitalized they gave him med, but he said those med made him couldn’t talk, can’t think straight, so he doesn’t want to take the med. And I said maybe just start with psychologist, but he would say he doesn’t think just talking can help him. So he just ended up doing nothing, sitting at home and letting the negative thoughts downward spiral.
I’m no depression expert, never know anyone personally that suffer from it. This is the first time for me. I feel like he really need to be seeing a psychiatrist, be on the some medical to get out of the downward spiral… But he is not willing to do that. I have been doing a little reading and seems like inability to seek help is not uncommon in ppl suffering depression… I’m really worrying about him, as a friend what can I do? Do I have to physically cajole / escort him to see some psychiatrists? When his wife ask him to get help he wouldn’t listen. I feel like sometimes maybe someone would listen better to a friend than a spouse...
Anyways I’m a noob, just joined this website to start to get some ideas who has experience in this… I’m open to any idea / suggestion. Thanks in advance...