I have been in a deep depression for around 18 months, and only just seem to be pulling out of it.

There are different types of depression, and varying degrees to which the sufferer is affected. Advice which works for one can make another worse!!

Clinical Depression as opposed to 'the blues' or 'a funk' is chemical, and defies any attempt to joke your way out of it.

A depressive loses the ability to 'get a grip', and such advice can be destructive in its very extreme sense.

The only real help to a depressed person is a good listener who is non-judgemental.

I found that people, in trying to help, only made matters worse. They wanted me to feel better, and I'd put on a front for their sakes. That would precipitate an even bigger 'downer'...

A depressed person has lost the will to fight. It comes back in its own time, and true friends can only protect themselves until that time comes.

Try to remember that the depressed person appears selfish, and probably churlish. It isn't their fault!

I found that bright, sunny days made me feel worse, because I was unable to enjoy them.

Seasonal Affective Disorder should never be confused with other forms of depression - nor should it be dismissed out of hand. The trick is to know what helps and what doesn't.

Someone who is depressed may be helped by working hard, etc., but someone who is Clinically Depressed may not have the ability to cope, and should not be pushed. I became incapable of doing simple jobs that I would normally be able to do blindfolded...

A friend - the one who triggered my depression - tried to help me by bullying me into a positive mental attitude. She failed miserably, and we don't even speak to each other anymore. She wouldn't accept that I couldn't maintain control over my emotions...

Mrrzy - I won't say I know how you are feeling, as only you really know that. It doesn't help to say 'Lots of people suffer in the same way', either - who cares about them anyway?!! I'm the one with the problem!!

However, self-termination is a bad idea, although it seems to be the only solution at the time. Unfortunately, depression makes you feel as if nobody really cares, so you don't care about them, either. Catch 22!

It's no use trying to find books about suicide in the library - nobody ever takes them back!!

Good luck, Mrrzy, you'll need it.