Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

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

Make us preferred on Google

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

CVS Warns Pet Owner They'll Lose Access To Dog's Medical Records Once He Turns 18 And Is A 'Legal Adult'—And Here Come The Jokes
Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images; @AutumnTweets/X

CVS Warns Pet Owner They'll Lose Access To Dog's Medical Records Once He Turns 18 And Is A 'Legal Adult'—And Here Come The Jokes

CVS pharmacies recently announced they'll begin carrying pet medications at their locations, but it seems like they haven't quiiiite worked out the kinks for the new service.

X user and pet owner @AutumnTweets has gone viral after sharing how her first experience with CVS pet meds has gone. And in a word, it's hilarious.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chelsea Handler; Joe Rogan
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images; Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images

Chelsea Handler Sounds Off After Learning Massive Sum Joe Rogan Is Making For His Podcast This Year—And She's Spot On

Forbes magazine recently released its list of the "Highest-Paid Podcasters of 2026." To promote the article, the magazine shared a teaser on Instagram listing the top 20 and their estimated earnings.

Topping the list was conspiracy theory and medical misinformation promoting comedian turned UFC broadcaster and podcaster Joe Rogan at $82 million for his The Joe Rogan Experience.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ken Jennings
JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images

'Jeopardy!' Host Clarifies His Stance On Trans Rights After Snarky Comment On Social Media Sparks Debate

Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings asserted his support for the transgender community after a joke he made on BlueSky attracted attention from conservative news outlets that spun his remarks to cast him as anti-trans.

The controversy began after Jennings posted about a game he plays with his wife while completing Spelling Bee, one of the games published by The New York Times. Although some followers joined in, many others criticized Jennings for promoting a Times product.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ireland Baldwin (left) spoke out after Perez Hilton's (right) hospitalization.
Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Comedy Central; Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Grant A Gift for Autism

Ireland Baldwin Shares Complicated Feelings Around Perez Hilton's Hospitalization After He 'Publicly Humiliated My Family For Years'

Ireland Baldwin is speaking out after Perez Hilton's hospitalization, sharing mixed emotions while reflecting on the years she says the celebrity gossip blogger publicly targeted her family. The response comes after Hilton was hospitalized following a distressing TikTok livestream on August 4 that left many viewers alarmed.

Deputies were dispatched to the 48-year-old's Florida home, where he was later hospitalized under Florida's Baker Act, which allows authorities to temporarily detain someone for a mental health evaluation if they are believed to pose a danger to themselves or others.

Keep ReadingShow less
Leon Gillespie as the Grim Reaper
@Ohgoditsliz/YouTube

Man Goes Viral After Getting Arrested For Standing On Hospital Roof Dressed As Grim Reaper And Staring At Patients

In an overuse of free will and dark humor, 26-year-old Leon Gillespie was arrested and charged a £200 fine for appearing as the Grim Reaper on the roof of the Ysbyty Glan Clwyd hospital in St. Asaph, Denbighshire.

Though Gillespie attempted to plead that he had appeared as a black "crow" on the roof of the hospital, the judge at Llandudno Magistrates in North Wales wasn't convinced, as the costume included a hood and a long blade, looking like the standard Grim Reaper with its scythe.

Keep ReadingShow less