Hello Brian: I see this is your first post here on PC. So... welcome to PsychCentral! I hope you find the time you spend here to be of benefit.

I'm not a mental health professional. Most of us here are not. Our purpose here is to provide one another with support & to share experiences & information. (Actually, from that perspective, one thing that might be helpful would be for your family member to come here to PC.)

Beyond that what really needs to happen here, from my perspective at least, is for your family member to seek the services of a mental health therapist & perhaps a psychiatrist if it becomes apparent he needs antidepressant medication. However, realistically, there's no way for you to get him to pursue this if he chooses not to. Plus, even if you could, unless your family member is invested in the process, it's unlikely to do any good.

Having written that... here are links to some articles from PsychCentral's archives that may be of some interest on the subject of helping someone who is depressed as well as someone who cannot, or will not, help themselves. Perhaps some of the information in these articles can be of some assistance:

https://psychcentral.com/lib/how-can...hos-depressed/

https://psychcentral.com/blog/how-to...essional-help/

https://psychcentral.com/lib/how-to-...sed-loved-one/

https://psychcentral.com/lib/10-ways...hos-depressed/

https://psychcentral.com/blog/11-way...one-in-denial/

https://psychcentral.com/blog/6-thin...hos-depressed/

Also there is a book that came highly recommended in one of PsychCentral's "Ask The Therapist" columns. It is titled: I'm Not Sick, I Don't Need Help . Here's a link to a review of the book on the Friends For Mental Health website:

A review of "I'm not sick, I don't need help!" - Friends for Mental Health

There is one other potential resource I'm aware of that I will offer you. There is a YouTuber named Douglas Bloch. He is an author, a depression counselor & survivor who uploads videos on his own YouTube channel. (He also has his own website & offers on-line counseling in the area of depression.) Watching some of Douglas' videos might be of some interest to both you & your family member. Plus, if your family member finds what Douglas does to be of benefit, perhaps your family member might be interested in looking into the counseling services Douglas offers. Here's a link to Douglas' YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/healingdepression

And here's a link to Douglas' website:

Healing From Depression, Overcoming Anxiety, Self-help Books, Mental Illness, Portland, Oregon Depression Support Groups

I don't know, of course, if you're here simply seeking advice with regard to this particular concern or if you plan to continue posting. However, should you be planning to continue on (we hope you do)... may I suggest you introduce yourself over on PC's New Member Introductions forum? Here's a link:

https://forums.psychcentral.com/new-...introductions/

There's a lot of support that can be available here on PC. The more you post, & reply to other members' posts, the more a part of the community you will become. Plus there are the chat rooms where you'll be able to interact with other PC members in real time (once your first 5 posts have been reviewed & approved.) So please keep posting!