How To Help Someone Suffering In Silence With Their Mental Health

When someone you care about is suffering from mental illness, there’s nothing worse than watching them suffer in silence. As much as 75 percent of mental health issues go untreated. Approximately one in four people suffer from mental illness. Many famous people have died as a result of mental health concerns in the last few years, and that doesn’t even include the everyday people who are struggling with their own troubles! Consequently, when dealing with someone who is suffering from depression, anxiety, or a variety of other mental health difficulties, it is imperative that you step up and be the person they require you to become. Here’s how to lift the spirits of someone special when they’re down in the dumps.

Don’t dismiss it.

The worst thing you can do as an outsider to someone who is suffering from a mental health problem is to dismiss it or encourage them to cheer up. There is a distinct difference between feeling sorry for yourself and being depressed, and the reason for depression is not always obvious either. So, please refrain from questioning why they are depressed when their lives appear to be going well, and please refrain from making them feel awful about how they are feeling. They already do. Depression and anxiety can come from almost anywhere, and they can also be caused by things that happen to you. Because the person who is suffering is usually attempting to find the source of his or her problems, telling them to “cheer up” is the last thing that they need to hear.

Make them feel appreciated.

One of the most common reasons for people to feel down and unconfident is that they simply don’t believe they are needed or even wanted in this world. Someone who is suffering has fallen out of touch with themselves. This happens when you buy into other ideas of what you are supposed to be or should be doing. When trying to find yourself, you uncover what makes you truly happy, not just “happy enough.”  You can find yourself in this situation if you’re caught in a rut and nothing really remarkable happens. If your girlfriend is suffering from depression, anxiety, or any other type of mental illness, consider buying her a present or maybe taking her on a surprise weekend away to make her feel cherished. After all, she desperately needs it right now, and doesn’t she deserve it?

Recognize a cry for help

Those who are struggling with their mental health will often keep it to themselves in fear of being judged or questioned about it when they don’t want to talk. However there may be times where they do uncharacteristically weird things, and these are usually cries for help. Some people turn to substance abuse as it helps take them away from their problems for a short while. If you notice anything like this, encourage them to book into rehab centers. When looking for a rehab center, it’s important to find one that uses an EHR for addiction treatment. This can help track your progress over time, identify any potential red flags, and ensure that you’re getting the right care. Once they have detoxed, you can then encourage them to get help for their mental health problems and tackle the problem together.

There may be other cries for help like self harm, doing things that they wouldn’t normally do, drastic changes in personality, or even selling their car or home unexpectedly. Here are some signs that someone is making a cry for help. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, speak to them and see if they open up about any difficulties they’re having. 

Encourage them to get help

If you want to help your friend or family member, the best thing you can do is make them go to their doctor. The most common reaction is to say that they don’t want to take antidepressants, and that’s their decision. However, just because a patient is depressed does not guarantee that their doctor would write them a prescription for medication and tell them to go on with their lives. In fact, the exact reverse is true. It’s not just medications that can be used to treat depression; there are also other methods including regular doctor visits, counselling, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and even modifying their lifestyle to see if it helps. It will also be beneficial if you are familiar with the way antidepressants function. They aid in the resetting of the chemical imbalance in your brain that is causing you to feel sad and depressed in the first place. They don’t block out the problem as such, they simply try and fix it. Gather as much information as you can about all of the options so that you can try to persuade your significant other to seek medical attention.

Allow them to express themselves.

Allowing someone to express how they feel is sometimes all they need. The way their mind is operating at the moment will become clear to you, and even if it doesn’t make sense to you at the time, you should allow them to finish their thought process without interruption. Most of the time, simply bringing difficulties that you’ve been holding within out into the open is all that is required, and the knowledge that you can talk to your partner about them (even if they don’t understand what you’re saying) is reassuring to the person suffering. Make an effort to chat to them when they’re having a good day so that you may support them in any way possible. Prove to them that you are interested in being helpful, and you should be able to get them talking.

Tell them about your own problems.

Making someone talk about something that’s upsetting them can be difficult, especially if they believe the rationale they’ve come up with is ludicrous. Even if you don’t have any mental health issues, it’s likely that you are bothered by some things, or that you have concerns and anxiety about particular situations. Open up to your partner about your problems to demonstrate to them that you are attempting to comprehend them and that you want to support them. A healthy relationship necessitates open communication about one’s innermost ideas and feelings.

Consider the situation from their perspective.

One of the most effective ways of assisting someone is to put yourself in their shoes, or at the very least make an attempt to do so. Just think about the challenges that your loved one faces on a daily basis. Do they have a career? Do they have any other people in their lives? Are they always running after the kids? How do you treat her? Is she having difficulties with her family? All of these variables can influence someone to feel depressed or worry about something that becomes a greater problem. If you’re able to uncover anything that could be a contributing factor, or perhaps the primary cause, of their mental health problems, do everything in your ability to try to make a difference in their lives as soon as possible.

If you put yourself in their position, it might just help you understand how much they are struggling and help you connect with them a little better. What you must remember is that just because mental health cannot be seen does not mean that it does not exist. You must also remember that mental health can manifest itself in a variety of ways.

Take all of these considerations into account and take the appropriate steps so that you can really try to help that particular someone in your life who needs your support. Don’t forget that the doctor should always be the first port of call because they are medically qualified and can provide the most appropriate assistance.