Best and Worst Things to Say to Someone Who is Depressed: Worst things

[Karen]

A more helpful list would be the BEST - not Worst - things to say. Just a laundry list of what not to say might make one avoid mentioning it at all, not knowing what TO say.

[Catty1]

Karen - there is a BEST list, which I posted separately.

The original had both in one long list, with the best at the bottom!

I thought the Best would get more attention separately.

[Daisy and Delilah]

Most of those statements come from people that don't know what depression is like. No one can understand depression unless they've experienced it. Since the depression has complete control, it's pretty hard to expect any person to take those suggestions to heart and use them effectively.

After having so many health problems this year, I have been really down in the dumps. I don't think it was clinical depression but I don't know. One of the hardest things I have to cope with is seeing people doing normal every day things. While watching them, I knew I wasn't able to even walk on both legs. Who wants to watch people walk and run when they can't stand up?
During this year, I heard a few of those statements from some people and they cut like a knife.

I'm a firm believer in, "What goes around comes around". People saying those things could experience it themselves some day.

Thanks for posting that, Candace. I read the other list as well. I am happy to say that mostly what I heard came from the "Best" list.

[jennielynn1970]

91. "Go out and get some fresh air... that always makes me feel better."

How many times has this one been said to me by my mother. Usually adding to it "You just need to exercise and lose weight. You'll feel much better then."


So helpful, so understanding. Sigh.


While fresh air, sun, exercise and losing weight will help, it's not going to "cure" my depression. And bringing it up every week doesn't help either.