As with many mental health conditions, there are varying degrees of depression which range from clinical depression to depression that comes on because of an external event such as a bereavement or divorce. Either way, if a person is feeling sad or finding it hard to cope, there are good ways and bad ways of handling it.
Knowing what to say and what not to say can be a minefield - after all, you don't want to make someone who is already feeling bad feel worse.
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The Mental Health Foundation say that among 1 in 4 people will suffer from some sort of mental condition in the space of a year, while mixed anxiety and depression is the most common mental disorder in Britain. Among older people, 1 in 5 suffer from depression.
So the chances are, that you probably already know someone who has depression or who suffered from it.
Do you know the best and worst things to say to someone who's depressed? Kristen Stewart from Everyday Health via HuffPost Canada has compiled a go-to list:
For help, support and advice on coping with depression, visit Mind.