He also said he has had suicidal thoughts. This is very worrying.
I have been seeing signs of random anger in him. He gets angry on very small things and avoids talking for the next few hours.
Questions
How do I help my friend who is on his way to building a startup and has confessed that he is suffering from depression?
8 answers from the community
A· Jan 20, 2015
The only thing you can do is try to get him professional help. Convince him to go see a doctor or a psychologist.
A· Jan 20, 2015
Agreed. If you want to help, go the extra mile and look up some docs that are highly rated and close by. Maybe pay for a visit if he doesn't have insurance or doesn't want to divulge it to his insurance company for various reasons.
Try http://www.healthgrades.com/
A· Jan 20, 2015
Tell him that he has to recognize he isn't alone and that his first step to success is working through his past pain so that he can succeed. Tell him to check out Nami for talk groups.
A· Jan 21, 2015
What are his priorities ?
A· Jan 22, 2015
I thought I was the only one feeling this way. Need help. Trying to screen my feelings and desperation from:
- my wife (who is increasingly frustrated by lack of success, and concerned we don't have enough money for our new baby boy),
- my cofounder (who I keep pushing and staying 'pretend positive' for),
- my professional contacts (because I now need a job and don't want to show I've been out of the corporate world for a few years),
- my family (who are becoming worried about me as they knew all the pressure I'm under)
- myself (who is becoming more and more delusional that I can keep doing this and become successful)
Am terrified about rejoining the workforce. Managing people again and being managed by people.
But you just keep battling on right? I don't know.. its hard. Sometimes I dont sleep and my chest hurts.
A· Jan 31, 2015
I saw this and your other post. As a person who has experienced depression + anxiety in a similar situation, I highly recommend exploring Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). You can do it yourself basically following and doing the exercises in David Burns' "Feeling Good":
http://smile.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-New-Mood-Therapy-ebook/dp/B009UW5X4C/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422738305&sr=1-1&keywords=feeling+good+david+burns
It is the definitive book in the field.
CBT won't change some of these situations (e.g. finances), but it will really help how you process them.
Good luck + hang in there
A· Jan 23, 2015
Sounds like me. I don't know why I do this thing and push so hard, but I do.
A· Feb 3, 2015
Probably not the right time.. Building a startup is tough both physically & mentally. Perhaps you want to check this article
https://twitter.com/YanThoinet/status/562680788739575808 Whatever, be as close as possible to your friend. Under depression the mind is unpredictable : (
Try change his perspective on life, "Show him love" : )