Resources for Depression

She must get him help. He is not in a place where he can get it himself. She needs to call a number, put him in the car, and drive him and walk him to the door. If she doesnt think he will go, she can even lie to him about where he is going. She can start with taking him to his primary doctor who can refer him to other places. He may be angry, or he may be grateful, but she needs to get him help.

If money is an issue, she can get him signed up at UT Southwestern. They have students there who work with people who need help/have mental illnesses. They are supervised by a doctor, and are probably more conscientous and attentive than a regular psycologist or psychiatrict who sees lots of patients. In addition, they can prescribe medications.

He probably needs more than vitamins and exercise by what you have described. Also - there are LOTS of medications for depression, so if one made him sick, there are others he can try.

She may not be able to get him to see a therapist, but she and her children surely can. A family psychologist can perhaps give her resources and warning signs to look for if he reaches a danger zone.

A depression Support Alliance in Lubbock is here:
http://www.dbsatexas.org/chapters.htm#Lubbock

what they do:
http://www.dbsatexas.org/index.htm

some depression psychologists in Lubbock:
http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_results.ph...

Also, healthy food (high sugar, packaged and junk food can make depression worse), supplements, structured activities (even like coming o the dinner table every night or planned family activities, excersize... little things like that can maybe help him out of his shell. She can help him talk baby steps, maybe a drive to pick up drive through fast food, then later, a visit to park. A professional can help give her ideas.

some natural ideas she can start at home:
http://www.healthtransformations.net/depression.htm

http://www.nativeremedies.com/articles/treating-depressio...

http://www.suite101.com/content/amino-acids-as-natural-re...

Now, these can help with short episodes of stress related depression, but if he is manic or going through a bipolar episode or has something that really needs professional and medical intervention, than she needs to absolutely get him to seek medical attention immediately.

If there is a possibility of him inflicting harm to himself or others, she needs to call a suicide hotline for help and further resources.

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/?gclid=CIuWwsjO6... 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Meds have improved since the last time he took them.
There are a lot of options, and doctors will sometimes
do trial + error until they find the right combination
for a given patient.

It may not be much help to know that a lot of men
are suffering the same kind of situation nowadays . . .
job loss, anxiety over taking care of one's family
and responsibilities, etc. So, your friend is not alone.
Which __may__ make dealing with this not quite as overwhelming
as it would be if he was the only man in this situation.

If she is sincerely concerned about his harming himself,
there is a suicide hotline she can call
for information on what steps she can take to help him avoid this.

You can probably google to find a number(s) for her to call,
if she feels it's necessary.

While I def think good nutrition , exercise , fish oil and all that are great things to help combat depression (having suffered from it myself) I do think however that when you are so far into a depression such as NOT getting out of bed might require more than what fish can do .. at least at first.. my advice would be to have her call social services and see what programs they offer and too, see IF they can get a counsel to come out and assess the situation.. It doesn't sound like the friend's husband will go out and seek help (when in that state of depression) it's just unlikely that people make sound decisions for themselves, hence he won't get out of bed.. therefore, in my opinion, you have to bring the help to them.... check around to see what psychological services your community might offer.. then AFTER he is evaluated, fish oil, exercise and the rest may help to ward off further depression.. Additionally, while I am NO doctor, I think WE train our brains how to think , in other words, while depression may be chemical (which I think it is) I also think it is learned behavior, therefore, the longer we stayed depressed, I think the harder it is to come out of a depression.. kinda like habits.. the longer we have ones, the harder they are to break..

Keep us posted as to what happens..

blessings..

Tell them to try the omega 3's, from fish. taken at higher levels 2000-3000 mg, it can treat depression. (seems to be working for me)

forget the crazy drugs, they dont work.
this link is interesting, but disturbing. anyone involved in the use of psychiatry should watch it.
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/ciencia/ciencia_industr...

There are hotlines she can call for help and advice. They are usually in the front of the phone book. She can have him commited if he is a danger to himself or others.

IMHO she needs to call her "you have no options, you are going" card and get him some help. My suggestion is to find a good Naturopath doctor. They are medical doctors however work with non-perscription medications and natural supplements whenever possible. My experience is that their initial physical is more thorough which gives more information.

The good doctors will spend 10 minutes or so talking to you about how they will approach this and how they can help. Regardless of what doctor you choose, do some homework so that you are comfortable with her/his competence.

I was wrongly diagnosed with Major Depression long ago and a couple of years ago learned that my diagnosis was actually Bipolar Disorder. These are serious conditions and are nothing to fool around with. I'm sorry, but healing depression that is serious enough to contemplate suicide solely with vitamins and suppliments is not too smart. He needs some real help from 1. A Psychiatrist that can work with him to not only diagnosis him, but find him the most beneficial medication that will work for him and make him feel better - there are so many different types these days that sometimes it does take a few trys to find the right one, but it is worth it when you do. It is worth it for yourself and for your family. When you are suicidal no amount of fish oil will get these feelings out of your head. Although it might be a solution for the mildly depressed, which is a whole different ballgame. He also needs help from 2. A good therapist that he trusts and can talk to. This is so important. It truly helps to have an impartial body to spill your feelings to that doesn't judge. This will be hard for him to accept and hard for him to realize and it might take a real wake up call for him to get to this place.
Is he threatening suicide? If he is you need to call 911 immediately!!! This is what all therapists and psychiatrists instruct the families of people with major depression to do. If this happens, he will get the help he needs, though I certainly hope it does not come to that.
I would tell your friend to have a serious talk with her husband - she cannot ignore this. He will have every excuse in the book so she needs to come armed with answers. Tell her to read up on Depression on http://WebMD.com, http://www.//DBSAlliance.org (Depression Bipolar Support Alliance), and http://www.psychcentral.com - these are good places to start. If her husband isn't open to going to the doctor yet but might be willing to read, try to get him to read "Feeling Good" by David Burns - it is THE book for Depression that just about every therapist and psychiatrist has recommended I read - perhaps it will get him motivated to go further with his therapy. I would also check your area to see if there are any support groups for those with Depression or even for spouses and family members of those with Depression - the DBSAlliance.org site might be a good reference for this - I know they have groups in Dallas. Also tell your friend that just because she is not the one with the Depression, doesn't mean she can't go talk to a therapist about how all of this is affecting her and her family and possibly get some tips on what to do next. Tell your friend good luck - I know how horribly hard this stuff can be on a family.

I private messaged you. Thanks for being there for your friend.

CONTACT Crisis Line is a great place to start! You can find them online at http://www.contactcrisisline.org, on FB at http://www.facebook.com/CONTACTCrisisLine or they have a Crisis Help Line at ###-###-####. Today's tip is to get the facts on depression (causes & treatments) at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/co...

I'm sure your friend will appreciate that you care! Trying to support a depressed husband can be very lonely and frustrating. Knowing that she has support will go a long way!!

Go to GNC or Cost Plus Nutrition and buy a bottle L-Tyrosine capsules 500 mg.
This works for depression without a doubt. In fact, l-tyrosine can lift your mood as well. Try it for yourself and see. Take it on an empty stomach at bedtime or 30 min before breakfast. Take 2 with a little orange juice.

I recommended this to 2 people in my life, who later reported drastic changes. One person said he was contemplating suicide and it saved his life. The other was my hairdresser who suffered chronic depression from childhood. Her family had a lot of depression in their genes. it saved her marriage and gave her strength to do simple things like pickup her house. She could not believe it was that simple. It works!
I use it for pms and need it. Best of luck!