Do Not Do This Updated

Update.--In reading the blog of this person I discovered this person suffers from periods of depression. For that I am truly sorry. And for my words here I apologize for the harshness, I misunderstood and am wrong.

I still think this person's advice, while good, should include seeking professional help for anyone you know or think is depressed or nudging them to seek professional help. There are many excellent therapists, often available at free clinics or via the telephone who can help.

Again, I am truly sorry if anything here sounded harsh, it wasn't meant to be as I've had lifelong (genetic) Dysthymia with periods of double depression (depression on top of Dysthymia) and two near-suicide attempts.

Original Post.--Do not dispense advice about depression or for helping a depressed person if you have no knowledge, understanding or experience either with depression or depressed people. In short, unless you know don't. It's that simple.

But apparently with the social networking Websites, such as Tumblr, dispensing advice seems to be ok. It's not, even if the advice is generally good, it may not be specifically good, such as for one person who is depressed. If you don't know them, don't tell other who do how to be with them.

I say this because of this post, when the writer (blog owner) wrote, "I just want to say that I am not any kind of therapist; I am just a girl on the internet who draws owls. But I get a lot of questions from people who want to take better care of their depressed friends and family, but don’t know how! So I hope this has been useful to some of you out there!"

That's my point, she admits to no knowledge, understanding or experience but still dispenses advice. While the advice is good in many respects, mostly general, but not all points are good and should not be followed, this doesn't give her relevance to write it.

The key is that depressed people need people who do have knowledge, understanding and experience about depression and dealing with depressed people. That's why they're specialists and therapist. Don't presume to know when it is very critical in the life of depressed people.

They need ways to talk. They need time to think. They need space to heal. They need people who they trust. They need patience. And they need love. They don't need people who think they know, think they know better, or think they have good advice.

As for me, about depression and dealing with depressed people. Been there, done that. I'm far from any expert, just my experience, which is more than this person's experience. Granted her care and concern is real, but to them and others, refer people to experts than tell them what you think.