7 Things You Should Never Say To Someone Who Is Depressed

1. Just get some rest

Saying this to someone who is most likely spending the majority of their time in bed is not what they need to hear. When someone is depressed, they will be tired - but not the kind of tired that can be cured with a good nights sleep.

2. Why don't you try smiling a little

Often times you can't tell that a person is severely depressed because they put so much effort into putting a smile on their face every day. Eventually, faking happiness becomes exhausting. Don't make them feel like they are failing because they're not smiling. It's hard enough to get out of bed somedays.

3. Things could be worse

Stop comparing their struggle. Someone else might have it worse, but that doesn't mean their problems aren't real. By comparing their struggle to someone else's, you are failing to value their emotions.

4. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, happiness starts from within

Seriously? If happiness came from within, 1 in 10 Americans wouldn't be on antidepressants. Depression is a mental illness, it is real and so is the stigma surrounding it. If you tell someone who is depressed that their happiness comes from within, you are making them feel as though they are fully incapable of ever being happy.

5. I feel depressed too sometimes

"Depressed" is not an adjective. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness reports 43.8 million American adults – approximately 19% of the population – experiences mental illness in a given year, including but not limited to depression. This means that when you say you feel "depressed" and really you mean you're having a bad day and in a bad mood - you are undermining their mental health condition.

6. I understand how you feel

Never say this. Even if you aren't talking to someone suffering from depression, telling someone you understand what they're going through is never the right thing to do. You may be able to relate, you might think you've been through similar situations, but you will never be able to fully comprehend what is going through their head.

7. Have you tried drinking tea and taking a nice warm shower?

Depression can't be fixed with tea and sugar. Taking nice warm showers and talking about your feelings with your friends won't fix everything. Everyone copes differently, stop giving you opinion to people who are only opening up to you because they need someone to listen.