Therapist and pdoc deal with it all the time and they have a much higher capacity to not be wore down by your problems.

I think it is good to have clear expectation on what you want from the people that support you. Do you want someone to comfort you when you are down? Do you need someone to be with you when you are feeling like you will hurt yourself?

It can be a burden on some people who don't know how to help or think they can't do anything. The truth is, most people can't do anything to make you feel better, but it helps to keep connected. I would try to convey that message. That you don't expect the person to make you happy, but just be there for you. A shoulder to cry on, or a person to vent to, or someone to keep you safe when things are bad. I would just say be honest with the people in your life and what you want from them.

It can be very intimidating for someone to hear how bad you feel. Especially if they haven't been thru depression. It can be difficult for some people to know how it feels to be so depressed you want to hurt yourself. I guess it is a good thing, but most people in life don't have to deal with that. For those use that do, we need people in our life to be supportive and that we can rely on when things get to that point. Whether that be medical professionals, family, friends, or spouses. We have to have some type of support.

Some people are just bad at supporting others. When I got out of the hospital I had an uncle that was rather upset with me for feeling this way. He just didn't get that depression isn't something that you can wish away or ignore. I checked myself in the hospital because was planning to hurt myself. I talked to my T and she said it would be a good idea I check myself in. It kind of suppressed me, but my mom was there for me when I got out. I was never really close to my mom and I lived with my dad when my parents split up. She stayed with me when I got out of the hospital until I started feeling better.

My only suggestion is be clear on what you want from the other person. I wouldn't expect them to cure your depression, but just to be there for you. It can grind someone down, to deal with depression, but there are some people that can deal with it, the trick is finding those people that can be there for you. For me it is my wife. That is the only person I really depend on in my life.