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[quote=Anonymous]A dear friend suffered with debilitating depression.

It wasn’t until she was forced to return home to live with her parents that she finally began to find a way to deal with her illness.

Specifically: her mother (who very likely suffered with the same illness without the benefit (?) of medication) sat her down and told her she needed to establish a daily routine otherwise she wouldn’t make it in life. Her mother basically enforced the routine which included showering, hair and makeup, getting dressed, exercising (walking), working, and grocery shopping and preparing meals. Her mother basically said if you can’t function by doing these basic things, then you won’t make it…reminding her that her parents won’t be there forever to take care of her, so it was her responsibility to find a way to live her life.

It took several months of challenges to establish the routine and get her on track, but it worked. This was probably what saved her in terms of being able to (finally) sustain employment.

People who are allowed to check out of life and daily responsibilities tend to fare worse in the long run. Lots of these people end up living on the streets.

I forgot to mention that her parents helped her kick her daily wine habit which very likely played a role in her worsening depression.

Also: having her mother observe her closely helped with landing on the right medication (and less of it).

I realize the op can’t fix her friend, but pretending she isn’t falling into an abyss seems both unhelpful and uncaring.

“It’s the depression” isn’t a helpful response. Labeling people with a diagnosis that seemingly allows them to stop functioning is dangerous and cruel. [/quote]

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