Top 10 List: What NOT To Say & What TO Say to a Depressed Person
Feel like your family or friends don't know what to say? Share this podcast with them. OR do you love someone who's depressed but never have the right words? Listen up! Here is a top 10 list--actually two Top 5 lists. First: Top 5 Things NOT to Say to a Depressed Person. Second: Top 5 Things TO Say to a Depressed Person. Both lists include comments from Flipswitch listeners who shared their ideas via Twitter! 
Your Thoughts?:
- What is the worst thing someone said to you when you were depressed?
- What is the best thing someone ever said when you were depressed?
- If you don't have depression, can you use the tips here (be present, listen first) to help a friend in need?
--Jessica Lynn Gimeno
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Thank you to everyone who responded. I agree wholeheartedly with the things you said. Sometimes it can be frustrating but I hope that Flipswitch helps you feel like someone out there "gets it" and you're not alone. I will try to respond to each person individually. Let me know if you ever want me to cover a topic on Flipswitch. I'm always open to ideas!
--
Jessica Gimeno, CABF Online Communications Associate, new host of Flipswitch Podcast & Blog
Besides the classic "Snap out of it." My mother said to me a few times, "If anyone should be depressed it should be me!" I love my mother, but at the height of my depression that made me feel completely alone. It was also a pretty selfish thing to say considering all WE were going through at the time. She was the one person I leaned on and saying something like that really invalidates a person's feelings.
Flipswitch, I think that the "Double Whammy" series is an excellent idea! I've been suffering from depression and intracranial hypertention (IH) (not to mention chronic daily migraines) since my twenties. Had the internet been as useful (and as fast!) back in the 90s and 2000s as it is today, I think I would have felt less alone in my troubles. Watching videos, reading blogs and articles, listening to podcasts, and joining forums all related to what one is going through makes all the difference.
Recently, I decided to quit my antidepressants, so I've been scouring the internet for info, and adding info through my blog and a YouTube page. I hope by my experience, and by sharing resources, I can help other people. I encourage everyone to help others who have been in similar situations.
--
Lisa
Quit the Cure: A Journey to Quit Antidepressants
http://quitthecure.wordpress.com/
"And be renewed in the spirit of your mind." ~ Ephesians 4:23
What not to say... "Cant you just move on", or "its all in your head"'"quit feeling sorry for yourself"'"things could be worse", none of these validate. Or " are you bringing this on yourself". The best... "I'm listening"
I think the worst thing you can say to someone is "to pull themselves out of it". I was told that by my own mother, who had been treated for depression for many years including being hospitalized. She acted like I was choosing depression and could just stop it.
Wow, thanks for sharing Flamingochick! That is preposterous but sadly not surprising. Kudos to you for overcoming depression and physical illness-that's a double whammy! I'm going to start a "Double Whammy" series featuring people who have overcome both mental and physical illnesses. Would you like to be in this series?
--
Jessica Gimeno, CABF Online Communications Associate, new host of Flipswitch Podcast & Blog
The worst thing someone said to me when I was depressed--other than "Snap out of it"--was "You just need to get out in the sun more." Ironically, I was given this piece of advice on the day I had a melanoma removed. Thanks, Jessica, for a great podcast.