Kristin Vickers Douglas, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic mental health specialist

I think a first step is to help understand depression. If you learn about what the symptoms are, and even if you can give your loved one a resource that describes the symptoms of depression, that's a first step. Because oftentimes people don't know that that's what they're dealing with, and that it's a treatable condition.

Oftentimes, again, it gets into that self-critical, "Why am I suffering with these symptoms? What is wrong with me?" And so if your loved one is locked in a pattern of thinking, "This is my fault, and I'm failing somehow because I'm not getting better," educating them to the fact that depression is a treatable illness can be very helpful.

There are good resources available. There are resources online — MayoClinic.com. Also the National Institute of Mental Health has good resources. So educating yourself and your loved one is a first step in understanding the treatment and getting treatment for depression.

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