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Mental Health
Stop Saying This to People with Depression
I know you’re just trying to help, but can you please not?
To everyone about to be offended by this article, we know your heart is in the right place. When you see someone in pain, it’s natural to want to comfort them.
However, unless you are a licensed therapist, or at the very least have first-hand experience of depression yourself, it’s unlikely that you have anything helpful to offer. By contrast, the platitudes people tend to dole out in such situations can often harm far more than they help.
In most cases, the best way to support a suffering friend is to just listen to them, but if you want to talk to them about it, please don’t say any of these things.
“It’s all in your head”
Yes, my brain is indeed located inside my head. Well done, a gold star for you. However, that doesn’t make my pain any less real. If you want to get technical, the pain you feel from a physical injury is caused by your nerves sending signals to — guess where — your brain, so that’s all in your head too.
