Two things: one is important; one is frothy and frivolous.

[sonofthemanse]

1. I have a friend who has had depression for some years (I haven't known him that long); he's on anti-depressants. He's gay and I know that LGBT mental health is particularly vulnerable, so I'd like some advice on how to help him with it if at all possible. To my shame I know next to nothing about mental illness so I'm terrified of putting my foot in it!

2. I've noticed that I have very few official 'friends' on this forum (thanks to those who have added me!), but I'm a bit apprehensive about adding people; is this 'friend' business perfectly innocent or does it latently mean that I'm hitting off on someone? (Just to clarify - if you see that you have a friend request from me, I more than likely haven't got you singled out as a potential life partner!)

[Caaake]

I have schizoaffective disorder, which is pretty much a combination of symptoms of schizophrenia and one mood disorder (either bipolar or depression), so I have to take meds as well.
What your friend needs from you is likely affirmations that there are better days ahead which proper treatment helps with.
For me when it comes to LGBT mental health, in my stable times I'm fine with it, but in my depressive moods I feel as though I don't belong in this world, that I'm somehow broken and can't function like a normal person, not just sexually but in simple things like working or socializing.
Like I said, affirmations, and be firm and consistent with them!
He'll have normal days, and bad days, and you won't always be able to help.
You can be kind to him when you're around him, but don't make his mental health your responsibility as that can be stressful. <tried that with mom, just drove me nuts

Er, sorry for the ramble there.
I just get passionate about mental illness, especially depression, related stuff.
I was originally diagnosed with clinical depression before they figured it was something else.

[pellaz]

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[sonofthemanse]

Thanks for your advice. I'm dead chuffed with myself because I've been trying to give him affirmations as often as possible. WOOP WOOP! Thanks again.

[pellaz]

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[mihai]

1. Try gettin him out and show him that noone judges him and stuff. Ask him to not get the pills that day. Introduce him to the world and try to have a good time yourself, it's never easy to have fun when you have a booring person arround
2. I am talking on skype with this shy dude from the forum You are not hitin on anyone if you add him as friends

[mihai]

By the way i am a anti-pill person, the doctors told me i will make a hard atack (i have this heart problem thingy which i got from my mom) if i won;t take the pills . Me and my mom never took the pills and she is 44 (no hard atack) and i needed to take those pills back when i was @ 14 and i got no heart atack and nothing related to the heart. Mind heals everything :X . And the depression is a desease you can cure yourself, when i camed out , mostly of my relatives ignored me and they do it now too(the psicho i went too told me to take some hard pills, can;t remember the name... anyway just a 3 hour talk with my mom fixed the problem) , i didn;t took pills and i am feeling so greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeat

[princealbertofb]

Mihai, it's actually a HEART attack... lol. And it could be a hard one too.

[princealbertofb]

1. I have a friend who has had depression for some years (I haven't known him that long); he's on anti-depressants. He's gay and I know that LGBT mental health is particularly vulnerable, so I'd like some advice on how to help him with it if at all possible. To my shame I know next to nothing about mental illness so I'm terrified of putting my foot in it!

2. I've noticed that I have very few official 'friends' on this forum (thanks to those who have added me!), but I'm a bit apprehensive about adding people; is this 'friend' business perfectly innocent or does it latently mean that I'm hitting off on someone? (Just to clarify - if you see that you have a friend request from me, I more than likely haven't got you singled out as a potential life partner!)

For point number one, you can learn, read about it, talk to him about it too, which will help. Talk to nurses and doctors, maybe, who have a medical, clinical understanding of the condition.
For point number two, no one on this forum will think you are very forward or cheeky for asking to be their friend. A friend is a friend is a friend nothing more, nothing less. It means you enjoy their company, you enjoy what they say, what they ask, what they advise and respect it. So feel free to ask anyone to be your friend, if you think there's at least a mental connection there. (You might also just like their avatar, but most of them are not our real selves ). In my quite long list of friends here, there are people I have added after asking them if they'd like to be friends with me, and others have made the first step. If there's no sore feelings, no harsh words, I don't see why not. All it means is that we respect each other's feelings and thoughts. mile:
Do you want to be my friend?

[princealbertofb]

next to normal was a sad experience in my life. Me; experiencing the "in sickness and health" clause with my wife. I think these days she is doing better but when it was happening, the high and lows, man that was difficult I used to sit in the car, in the garage, alone and cry.

Awwww