- Whether he needs to see a doctor depends partly on how depressed he is. Depression can be dangerous and/or disabling for some people. For others self-care is enough. You might want to ask about thoughts of hurting himself, how he's doing at work and in school, to get a sense.

- If you think it's more than a mild depression you might want to contact a group like the depression bipolar alliance. They might have suggestions for ways people with no insurance can get care (free clinics, etc.) They also, often have support groups (free) for people suffering from depression and their families.

- If he decides on self-care, a lot of the best treatments for depression you can do without a doctor.

• Exercise - especially aerobic - has been shown to help a lot.
• You might have heard of cognitive behavioral therapy, which is one of the best psychotherapies for depression. What you might not know is there are CBT books you can do on your own that can help (I think I also saw somewhere a free online CBT course - you can try googling it). A standard book is "Feeling Good" by David Burns. It's really pretty comprehensive and helpful.
• Behavioral activation is important - the idea that you try to keep to a schedule and keep active - even though with depression you generally don't want to - but doing nothing tends to make depression worse. Warning: an s.o. telling someone who's depressed to get active and get out of bed usually is a horrible idea. A better way is to try to "facilitate" activities - try and make it easier for the person to be active in ways they might enjoy and which don't overwhelm.
• Make sure other basics are being taken care of: the sleep schedule is normalized, there's enough light, the diet is nutritious, drinking is not excessive - that sort of thing. I'd recommend a trip to the GP if he could afford it - it's always a good idea to rule out physical issues which can cause or mimic depression - thyroid issues, etc - sometimes these can look like depression. Ordinary things like urinary tract infections or sinus infections even can cause tiredness and psychological symptoms.

- Things you can do:
- listen in a nonjudgemental way. Bear in mind that most people who are depressed are extremely sensitive and can be really unreasonably sensitive. So acceptance is key. They're guaranteed to be beating themselves up - you can really help in offering the perspective they lack while not chastising them for their negativity.
- I disagree with "giving him space." It sounds more to me like depression than a typical "rough patch" in a relationship. And depression gets worse with isolation. You don't want to be in his face, but it's good to be *there.* People with depression often isolate because they think they're "no good to anybody" or a "wet blanket." Or they worry they'll drive people away. Ironically sometimes people isolate themselves during depressions to preserve relationships - it can backfire in that it can alienate people and it makes the depression worse.
- Irritability and a lack of interest in relationships and others can be huge in depression and real relationship killers. You need to set boundaries (e.g. you shouldn't tolerate abusive behavior), but try not to take it too personally either - especially if the behavior is out of character - it's probably something that will clear up as the depression lifts.
- take care of yourself first. If that's hard to do for yourself, remember you can't help him if you're in an emotional upheaval, or feeling responsible for his depression. Get support and take time for yourself and don't feel guilty for being happy even if he's not.