Wants2Fly... I know you try... I know my fiance tried, too. For him, getting out of bed felt like a huge accomplishment. I am proud of you for taking the steps that you have.

Like 1dayatatime said, it's hard not to be overprotective and try to 'fix' the other person. I can totally relate to the overprotectiveness. My family and friends all wrote my fiance off as "lazy" -- I wanted (and sometimes did) scream that he can't help it -- but of course, it sounds like a big excuse. We go through the same kind of stigma... but as "enablers". We "enable" them to be depressed. That drives me insane, because the unspoken accusation is that we must be sadistically wanting to keep the depressed person down for some psychological gratification of our own. I think that's why we try to "fix"... we don't WANT them to be depressed -- we want them to get better as quickly as possible, so that WE aren't subject to the stigma, either! And the most frustrating part is that it physically is SO EASY to take some steps toward getting better. But for depression sufferers, psychologically it seems impossible, or at best, would take a huge effort to get very little payoff. To the rest of us, the solution seems really really clear.

About the overprotectiveness -- I can completely relate to that part, too. But, our therapist took me out of that role. She said it doesn't help in the long run and that if there is any protecting to be done, she will do it instead and relieve me of the 'responsibility' (isn't it weird how it feels like one?)

(ps W2F - your family sucks. I would like to have a few minutes, a baseball bat, and them in a back alley... >:-()