Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Divulge The 'Words Of Wisdom' You Should Never Share With A Depressed Person

We all love to play armchair therapist. We all believe we have the answers. But we could do more harm than good.

So many of us have the best of intentions but we must begin to understand time and place and delivery.

Some people are in darker places and platitudes aren't the miracle cure some people think they are.


Redditor Kvetanista wanted to talk about when to speak or be silent, so they asked:

"What's the worst thing you can say to a depressed person?"

I hate... "just smile."

As if I don't know how to control the muscles in my face to make it all ok.

If that helped I'd have wrinkle lines decades before I should.

I DON'T!!

Snap!

"Stop being lazy. Snap out of it." ~ Recent_Employment_28

Giphy

Nothing

"But you've got nothing to be depressed about." ~ RandomRamblings99

"It's like this with anxiety too. 'You have nothing to be anxious about.' Yeah, well that sure ain't stopping it from happening." ~ RobToastie

"Oh man I heard that a lot growing up, still gives me shivers. I caught myself saying it to my son one day and vowed to never say it again. My kids get to feel their feelings." ~ WolfPackMedic

Why?

"I heard this and all it did was made me hate myself more. 'Why can't you be like everyone else? Why can't you be happy considering all you have going for yourself? What is your problem?' is what i would think."

"It did teach me I can't unburden myself to anyone stupid enough to stand in front of me for five minutes though. Now I ask people 'Are you sure you really want to know how I'm feeling? If they say no I understand because most people are just being polite.'" ~ fazlez1

Top 2

"'Get over it' and 'It's all in your head' are my top two."' ~ Hollywood899

"Yeah right, even with trying to get the right chemicals through meds I still ain't right. Like my anxiety is too bad to take ADHD meds and my body also literally doesn't metabolize most anti depressants properly, so the amount I can even try is limited." ~ arcaneunicorn

Worse

"Saying 'Someone has it worse' completely ignores the pain the depressed person is suffering through." ~ Alluxing

Giphy

What are the origins of this mess?

Like in what century did any of this work?

Celebrate

"For me it's 'Enjoy those years! They are the best part of your life'." ~ Kvetanista

Giphy

Bless You

"I also enjoy 'if you went back to church your depression would go away.'" ~ dixiequick

"I was going to church at the time I finally decided to open up and was told I'm in sin."

"I already felt like when i was born God said 'oops' and now I have this to deal with? Despite all I've gone though and felt I have no problem with God, the problem I have is with is people who exercise Church 101. There's no anger anymore as that's one of their imperfections. They have theirs and I have mine." ~ fazlez1

My Head

"My dad says this to me. 'Depression isn’t real, it’s all in your head.' He’s half right though, it is all in your head. I’ve always assured myself 'maybe they’ll believe me when they find me hanging from a ceiling fan.'" ~ TTungsteNN

"Heard that many times, including from my parents until I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. My father was diagnosed bipolar about 10 years before me. WTF?" ~ FriendRaven1

99 Problems

"Stop complaining, some people have real problems." ~ soupisatitagain

"My ex used to say that to me all the time. Like even if I wasn’t complaining about something and just mentioning something that happened on my day. Really he just didn’t care to listen."

"Also the problem with saying that is you close the door for open communication. That’s how people end up bottling things inside. And for teachers or parents, it’s a missed opportunity to educate a young person to overcome an obstacle and grow, so that they will eventually 'stop complaining.'” ~ chocotacogato

Better?

"I personally hate 'it gets better,' it does get better but I hate when people say that to me when I’m in a major depressive episode. Idk why, it just upsets me even more." ~ lonelylemons42069

Giphy

Just do the best you can.

Life is hard.

That's all I've got.

And it's better than what we've heard.


Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.


More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Nicholas Galitzine He-Man in 'Masters of the Universe'
Amazon MGM Studios

Conservatives Are Melting Down Over 'He-Man' Movie Joke About Pronouns—And They Missed The Point Entirely

Conservatives have basically two cherished hobbies: caterwauling about trans people and missing the point of every joke. And with the release of the trailer for the new He-Man movie, they got to do both in one go!

Nicholas Galitzine stars as the titular super hero in the upcoming film adaptation Masters of the Universe, and given our times, it's only natural the film would make a joke about pronouns.

Keep ReadingShow less
film clacker with popcorn
GR Stocks on Unsplash

Details People Saw In Movies That They Called BS On Because Of Their Job

Movies are designed to entertain us. As such, they often take creative license with reality.

After all, reality can be less than cinematic.

Keep ReadingShow less
Marjorie Taylor Greene§
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Even MTG Is Demanding That MAGA Admit The Killing Of Alex Pretti Was Completely Unjustified

Former Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene continues to speak out against the MAGA movement that brought her to national prominence, this time calling on Republicans to condemn the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis.

Calls for an investigation have intensified from across the political spectrum after analysis of multiple videos showed ICE officers removing a handgun from Pretti—a weapon that authorities said Pretti was permitted to carry but was not handling at the time—before fatally shooting him.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chris Madel
@CWMadel/X

Minnesota Republican Condemns His Party In Powerful Video Announcing He's Dropping Out Of Gubernatorial Race

In a post across his social media, one of the Republican frontrunners for governor of Minnesota announced he would be ending his campaign due to the GOP's actions in his state.

In an almost 11-minute video, trial attorney Chris Madel condemned the administration of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee in the wake of what he characterized as retaliatory actions by the Trump administration, Kristi Noem's Department of Homeland Security, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota that resulted in the recent murders of two United States citizens—Renée Good and Alex Pretti.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jason Segel attends The Critics' Choice Association's 4th Annual Celebration.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association

Jason Segel Admits He Didn't Tell His Parents About His 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' Nude Scene As A 'Practical Joke'

In 2008, the world was graced with Jason Segel’s epic magnum opus, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, an R-rated comedy that went on to make over $105 million worldwide.

The film stars Segel alongside Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Paul Rudd, and Russell Brand. Written by Segel himself, the movie follows Peter, a heartbroken music composer who escapes to Hawaii to recover from a devastating breakup, only to discover that his ex-girlfriend, played by Bell, and her new boyfriend, portrayed by Brand, booked the exact same vacation.

Keep ReadingShow less