Depression and Anxiety

[Plenum]

I live with someone who sufferers painfully from this along with crippling self-doubt. I'd like some advice

Over the years I have tried many things to 'help' from getting him into hospital at his worst during a breakdown.
To nothing at all, but just being there as he goes through it.
I can see now that in the past I have at times let him rely on me to much, but since I have had children to care for too and have become more awake I realise this is not helping him.

As a person, he's highly sensitive and very creative, as a child of 8 his teacher told his mum she'd never met an infant with such a highly developed sense of morality.
He sees threw bulls*ht easily, and is very intelligent.
Has always stood up for what he believes in and feels totally lost here much of the time. (He's much more of a typical wanderer than me -I feel I've been kicking about here forever and have deep connection and love of this place we call earth)

He’s tried all kinds of things to help himself from CBT to more philosophical/ spiritual stuff.
He lives a life he likes, doing a job of his choosing.

When I talk with him and he asks for my help/opinion - what I share with him seems to help... yet he doesn’t follow up info I pass to him to read.
He lacks the ability to stop the dark thoughts, or even control his thoughts in the way that seems normal to me.

hi Andy, I hope your friend is doing better.

I also have a friend who has dealt with dark moods for many many years. Lack of self confidence, rage against the world, feeling undervalued, etc etc.

he has worked through much of this, and I would dare say, is almost free from these anxieties and moods. He is much wiser after the experience.

- -

question is, unless you came into the world as a depressed baby (and there are cases of this, for kids born to addict mothers, and the child inherits the opium addiction etc), there was a time when one DIDN'T have this condition.

some have their first experience of depression when they are 15, others 12, others 32, some say they first had it when they were 5 or 7.

Point is, there was a trigger point in time/space. Some experience, some event, some vaccination, *something* changed.

it has been useful (in my experience) to explore the past, and ask questions. In many ways, paid therapy or talking therapy is exactly this.

but one can do this for oneself too.