Originally Posted by
groupie2686
I have a friend who has been going through a hard time, he has been through something very traumatic and is severely depressed because of it. I'm the only one he's been talking to about this; his parents are hands-off and his other friends are busy with other things. He refuses to get counseling, which I truly believe he needs, because his parents have told him it's a weakness to go. I've been trying so hard to help him and keep his spirits up, but it's been so hard...sometimes I don't know what to say, sometimes he doesn't want to talk about it and shuts down. We live 4 hours away from each other, so we talk on the phone or by text, but it's not as good as in person (and for various reasons, seeing each other in person can't happen right now). He is so paralyzed by fear and depression that he's hiding himself away and it's truly heartbreaking to hear, he was the most outgoing and friendly person I've ever met before this happened. It seems like I'm all he has to help him through this and I worry that I'm not doing enough to help, or that one day he will do something desperate. And the saddest thing is, I don't think he's even hit rock bottom yet (and I worry about that day, when he will). I'm not sure exactly why I wanted to post this here, I felt like I had to share, I guess. I don't know if I believe in prayer, but any prayers sent out into the universe would help...thank you all for listening!