A good friend, that I’ve known for 20+ years, has long term health issues, and recently has had some health setbacks. On top or because of this, he is also dealing with depression, which isn’t a normal state for him.
He recently told people that he couldn’t handle the health problems, and that he has stopped taking some or all of his anti-depressents. I’m afraid that he is giving up.
I’m mainly in the “Your body, your life, your decision” camp, but I do believe that this is largely the depression talking. It’s just not like him.
Does anyone have suggestions on what kind of conversation to have about this? Other than “Dude, It’s ultimately your choice, but I hope you don’t give up, and I’d miss you”, what can be said or done to, hell I’m not even sure what I want to do, maybe appeal to the friend I know is still in there someplace, and bring back hope that he can get back to that?
“Depression” is not a solitary condition. It describes a constellation of mental health issues that share overlapping symptoms, but not all have the same cause and not all have the same treatment. Anti-depressants are a very complicated issue because of this. The scientific evidence shows that they are effective against depression for some people, but for other people they can be useless or even make the problem worse. I’ve taken anti-depressants and they worked for me, but if they are not working for your friend then something needs to be changed. I would encourage him to meet with his psychiatrist as soon as possible, discuss in depth how his moods have been, and ask whether a switch to a different dosage or a different medication might be appropriate.
I strongly recommend the strengths-based approach. See if there’re any strengths based programs / practitioners in your friend’s area. It’s also Medicaid reimbursable in case that’s a concern.
Hope your friend will feel better.