“My brother is 39 and single, and I think it's making him depressed. What can we do to help?”
My brother is 39 years old and single. He keeps pitying himself and now seems uninvested and depressed. What can we do as a family to help him and support him?
9 Answers
One approach would be to suggest that he go online and meet someone. However, there are probably underlying conflicts that he has and perhaps a biological depression. You should encourage him and support him in seeing a mental health professional. He should have psychotherapy perhaps with medication.
Recommend that he seek counseling.
He needs to find the goal and purpose of his life and go forward to achieve it
Recommend and pay, if necessary for a psychiatric evaluation.
You may be observing clinical signs of depression related to midlife issues. You can support him as family by helping him focus on his positive traits and achievements. You can also recommend him for counseling to a competent therapist.
Please set up an appointment with psychiatrist as he can other psychiatric disorders as well/ Depression is like fever it is a symptom we need to investigate why he is depressed.
All the best.
All the best.
Spend lots of time with him if you live nearby. Invite him to every social event you can think of. If you believe he is clinically depressed, recommend he seek professional help: a LMFT, LCSW or PhD psychologist. Offer to go with him, if he is reluctant to seek professional help. Offer to even make an appointment for him. (with his permission, of course). If the above professional believe your brother is clinically depressed he or she will recommend your brother see a psychiatrist for possible treatment with medication. Your brother is lucky you CARE about him. Many families don't care. Tell him you care about him & that you love him and want to help him feel better. That alone will make a huge difference for him.
If he is willing to talk to a therapist, it may help him get out of depression. As a sibling, always be supportive.
One of the most common errors in mental health is projecting a cause without enough data. Many ppl with depression are socially withdrawn and apathetic, which can limit dating. If he just got divorced, he may be grieving rather than being depressed. If he has never lived on his own at age 39, he may have Asperger’s syndrome or be paranoid, or a closet alcoholic as a result of those or other problems. Does he have a job? Chronic medical problems? Without seeing and/or hearing him, I can’t know if he has physical defects that make him shy. You are concerned, which is the first step. Talk to him, let him know of your concerns and get him to a psychiatrist who can evaluate all the possible factors.
Depression is very treatable, the problem is usually a failure to seek help. So, act on your concerns. That’s how you can help. I hope he gets better.
Depression is very treatable, the problem is usually a failure to seek help. So, act on your concerns. That’s how you can help. I hope he gets better.
