Best things to say to someone with depression

Its so tempting when you find out someone has depression, to attempt to immediately fix the problem. However, until the depressed person has given you permission to be their therapist (as a friend or professional), the following responses are more likely to help. Acknowledge their depression for what it is, do not say, "Its just a phase". Give them permission to feel depressed, don't say, "But why should you be sad?".

Here is a list collected from many sources on the internet:

• "I love you!" (if you mean it)

• "I care."

• "You're not alone in this."

• "I'm not going to leave/abandon you."

• "Do you want a hug?"

• "You are important to me."

• "If you need a friend.....(and mean it)"

• "You look great!" (say it and mean it)

• "It will pass, we can ride it out together."

• "When all this is over, I'll still be here (if you mean it) and so will you."

• "All I want to do now is give you a hug and a shoulder to cry on."

• "Hey, you're not crazy!"

• "May the strength of the past reflect in your future."

• "I understand your pain and I empathise."

• "I'm sorry you're in so much pain. I am not going to leave you. I am going to take care of myself so you don't need to worry that your pain might hurt me."

• "I listen to you talk about it, and I can't imagine what its like for you. I just can't imagine how hard it must be."

• "I can't really fully understand what you are feeling, but I can offer my compassion."

• "Depression is like a very dark storm....you are in the middle of the storm now and can't see your way out....but it will get better. One day you will be able to turn around and see that the storm has passed......"

• "I'm sorry you're having to go through this, I care about you and care that you are hurting."

• "Don't say anything, just hold my hand and let me listen while you cry."

• "God does not play dice with the universe." - A. Einstein

• "A miracle is simply a do-it-yourself project." - S. Leek

• "We are not primarily on earth to see through one another, but to see one another through." - (from someone's SIG)

• "If the human brain were simple enough to understand, we'd be too simple to understand it." - a codeveloper of Prozac, quoted from "Listening to Prozac.".

• "You have many extraordinary gifts--how can you expect to live an ordinary life?" - from the movie "Little Women" (Marmee to Jo)