If your friend has been clinically diagnosed with depression, you can play a supportive role by:
- Helping to ensure that your friend keeps to his or her follow-up appointments with the psychiatrist
- Adheres to the management plan including medications or psychotherapy/counselling sessions if any.
- Help your friend by not treating him or her with stigma or prejudice due to his/her mental health condition.
- You may also lookout for any warning signs such as thoughts of harming oneself or others. If there are such signs, do encourage him to see medical attention at an emergency department or call the crisis helpline.
To better help him, you may read this article on how depression is treated and diagnosed in Singpaore.
