“My mother has chronic kidney disease and is always depressed. What should I do?”

SHe should see a a therapist, perhaps a psychiatrist who would understand about crhonic kidney disease

Please take her to a therapist or psychiatrist.

I’m sorry to hear about your mother’s health issues - it is a hard situation for everyone. It’s so nice that you want to help your mom - have you asked what she thinks might help? Is she eating a healthy diet? Can you bring her out for lunch or dinner and can you go out for walks with her? Making healthy food choices and regular exercise help with mood. Sleep is also very important - if she isn’t sleeping well, a meditation app may help. You can help her find one and download to her phone if needed. Knowing you have someone who cares and a shoulder to cry on can be reassuring. However, while you can and should be supportive, you cannot act as her therapist - being her child means you cannot be objective (this is why physicians and therapists don’t treat family members). If she is struggling emotionally, it never hurts to see a professional. Offer to bring her to the first therapy visit if she is nervous or unsure about it. Having a chronic disease is very hard and she deserves a therapist who can help her cope with the many feelings that come with such a diagnosis. Best of luck to both of you.

Carly Snyder, M.D.

Be with her and take her to places and to lunch, dinner and breakfast if she will go out. If not just spend time with her. She can take antidepressants which will help her and she will feel better in all ways. A NP or even a Medical Doctor can help her.

Treating her depression with an antidepressant is worth considering for reasons beyond trying to help her feel better. Research by Dr Chen in Taiwan has shown that it is very important for to treat depression in patients with chronic kidney disease because it improves the course of their kidney disease as well, regardless of when it is started.

Take a look at this link - it may help
https://www.davita.com/education/ckd-life/support/depression-and-chronic-kidney-disease

Treat both medical condition and depression. They are connected.

Dr. Xu