My friend is severly depressed, I don’t know the full story but it has something to do with his family not really wanting to raise him and him believing he is not loved. He has cut himself and has had plans for attempted s\*icide. I talked him into to talking to family which helped him, but hes still very depressed and it worries me. I want to suggest a book or something he can do, he currently is doing cognitive therapy and is on meds, but he looks like he might go back to having plans of attempted s\*icide. Is there anything he could do? He doesnt really have money for Phychologists
by PrestigiousPainting9
11 Comments
There is free online couselng (try 7 cups of tea)
Usually University school of psychology offers free counseling from students
you can get them counselling
why can’t you write suicide like a normal person?
Some books that have helped me:
The Choice by Edith Eger
Self-Therapy by Jay Earley
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay Gibson
What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo
Girl, interrupted
Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor E Frankl. He was a concentration camp survivor and a doctor who went through it (obviously). His outlook after is so amazing.
I’m a depressive and am here to tell you, the fact that you’re here asking for books for your friend is very caring. Check in with him regularly. Don’t give up on him. BUT if he does choose to take his life (I hope not), know that it’s not your fault in any way. The pain that leads one down that path is deep. Be his friend, and I very much hope he sees you and knows it can get better.
I recommend audiobooks instead. I don’t know if you’re familiar, but depression is often not sadness but numbness. That can make it hard to focus. It can also make it hard to sleep, heavy. A voice really helps in those times.
Folklore and fairytales are good. Books they might be familiar with but haven’t read in a long time or tales that have a movie adaptation that they’ve seen but differences in the source. I can’t think of a time where **The Princess Bride** isn’t a good option. Stephen Fry is an amazing narrator so I recommend **Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection**.
Anything that plays on natural drives is more likely to make it through the fog. So erotica or horror are good options. Medications can dull the effect of erotic content, so Supernatural Horror is probably a better choice. Nothing too realistic or a heavy commentary on the world. You want to take them away, not trap them in reality.
The Upward Spiral was good for me when I was really depressed
Feeling Good by David D. Burns is a guide to cognitive behaviour therapy which really helped me when I was experiencing severe depression, and I reread it from time to time to help with panic attacks. I’ve read several books on CBT and found this to be the best one at going beyond theory and helping the reader put the therapy into practice when they can’t access a therapist.
Note that I would NOT recommend any other books by the author, as he goes on some weird anti-medication rants in some of them. There’s none of that nonsense in Feeling Good.
Best wishes for your friend’s recovery.
[‘The Suicide Prevention Pocket Guidebook’](https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-suicide-prevention-pocket-guidebook/joy-hibbins/9781837963799) by Joy Hibbins has some useful sections on crisis planning and things that both you and your friend can do to help keep him safe when his mind starts to spiral. My partner and I both struggle with depression and have found this book helpful for discussing and understanding each other’s triggers, as well as what we find helpful or unhelpful to hear when we’re struggling.
Also, try not to forget to look after yourself – it’s easy to let yourself get exhausted when supporting a suicidal loved one, but your mental health matters too <3
Can’t Hurt Me, by David Goggins
The body keeps the score, my psychiatrist recommended it to me as a self guided thing since i was getting frustrated with traditional therapy. Life changing book.