[LoveHopeStrength14]

Please everyone, help me understand how to support my brother who is living with severe depression. He lives many hours away from our hometown and there's no family around him. Of all his friends only 1 knows what he is struggling with. He is taking medication and seeing a doctor. I check up on him every so weeks through emails asking how he's doing. Lately he said he's sleeping less and when he does sleep, it is never a restful night. He is down to eating one meal a day and lost some weight. I feel I have to go see him and obvious if he's actually doing as well as he said.

He's told me that often he doesn't know how to tell me, what he's feeling and thinking. He doesn't have the words for what he's going through. He said he's no longer doing the things he did before and simply doesn't leave his house. When I finally see him, I really dont know what exactly am I going to do. Deep down inside i want to hold him, hug him and tell him how much I love him. To please not shut me out and no matter what I'll walk through this hard times along side him. A part of me is scared that when I see him, his physical appearance is wasted away where he's skin and bones and looking distraught.

For everyone who's struggling and/or recovered from severe depression what is something I can do to help my brother? For those who supported a love one with depression what did you do for them to make their lives easier?

[kaliope]

*****just so you know, I have dissociative identity disorder. in writing this, one of my alters came out and wrote from her point of view. I am sorry if she was harsh. but it is her reality. I decided to leave her advice to you.

honestly, and I hate to make this a bummer post, but when I was severly depressed, there was nothing anybody could do to make it better. their attempts to make it better drove me up the wall. I remember somebody suggesting we go take a walk. I almost blew a gasket. like a walk was going to solve my problem, the deep dark hole I was in. there was no way they could possibly understand how I was feeling. nothing, nothing could fix where I was at. if there was a solution, believe me, I would jump on it immediately. you CANT fix it. it is as simple as that. so quit trying. it hurts me when you try because it is hopeless. I have tried everything and it doesn't work. you offering suggestions just makes me more hopeless. just be there for me. that is all I need. knowing that you care is enough. checking up on me, stopping by. I may seem annoyed at time because I want to be alone but deep down it is appreciated. just talk to me about how things are going, your life, random things. I cant explain how I feel, it is too difficult to put into words and others just cant understand the depths of sadness I feel. if I could, I would. just accept me for where I am at. love me.