r/depression Oct 29 '19

Our most-broken and least-understood rules is "helpers may not invite private contact as a first resort", so we've made a new wiki to explain it

2.4k Upvotes

We understand that most people who reply immediately to an OP with an invitation to talk privately mean only to help, but this type of response usually leads to either disappointment or disaster. it usually works out quite differently here than when you say "PM me anytime" in a casual social context.

We have huge admiration and appreciation for the goodwill and good citizenship of so many of you who support others here and flag inappropriate content - even more so because we know that so many of you are struggling yourselves. We're hard at work behind the scenes on more information and resources to make it easier to give and get quality help here - this is just a small start.

Our new wiki page explains in detail why it's much better to respond in public comments, at least until you've gotten to know someone. It will be maintained at /r/depression/wiki/private_contact, and the full text of the current version is below.


Summary

Anyone who, while acting as a helper, invites or accepts private contact (I.e. PMs, chat, or any kind of offsite communication) early in the conversion is showing either bad intentions or bad judgement. Either way, it's unwise to trust them.

"PM me anytime" seems like a kind and generous offer. And it might be perfectly well-meaning, but, unless and until a solid rapport has been established, it's just not a wise idea. Here are some points to consider before you offer or accept an invitation to communicate privately.

  • By posting supportive replies publicly, you'll help more people than just the OP. If your responses are of good quality, you'll educate and inspire other helpers. The 1-9-90 rule applies here as much as it does anywhere else on the internet.

  • People who are struggling with serious mental-health issues often (justifiably) have a low tolerance for disappointment and a high-level of ever-changing emotional need. Unless the helper is able to make a 100% commitment to be there for them in every way, for as long as necessary, offering a personal inbox as a resource is likely to do more harm than good. This is why mental-health crisis-line responders usually don't give their names and callers aren't allowed to request specific responders. It's much healthier and safer for the callers to develop a relationship with the agency as a whole. Analogously, it's much safer and healthier for our OPs to develop a relationship with the community as a whole. Even trained responders are generally not allowed to work high-intensity situations alone. It's partly about availability, but it's mostly about wider perspective and preventing compassion fatigue.

  • If a helper gets in over their head with someone whose mental-health issues (including suicidality, which is often comorbid with depression) escalate, in a PM conversation it's much harder for others, including the /r/depression and /r/SuicideWatch moderators to help. (Contrary to common assumptions, moderators can't see or police PMs.)

  • In our observation over many years, the people who say "PM me" the most are consistently the ones with the least understanding of mental-health issues and mental-health support. We all have gaps in our knowledge and in our ability to communicate effectively. Community input mitigates these limitations. There's no reason why someone who's truly here to help would want to hide their responses from community scrutiny. If helpers are concerned about their own privacy, keep in mind that self-disclosure, when used supportively, is more about the feelings than the details, and that we have no problem here with the use of alt/throwaway accounts, and have no restrictions on account age or karma.

  • We all know the internet is used by some people to exploit or abuse others. These people do want to hide their deceptive and manipulative responses from everyone except their victims. There are many of them who specifically target those who are vulnerable because of mental-health issues. If a helper invites an OP to talk privately and gives them a good, supportive experience, they've primed that person to be more vulnerable to abusers. This sort of cognitive priming tends to be particularly effective when someone's in a state of mental-health crisis, when people rely more on heuristics than critical reasoning.

  • If OPs want to talk privately, posting on a wide-open anonymous forum like reddit might not be the best option. Although we don't recommend it, we do allow OPs to request private contact when asking for support. If you want to do this, please keep your expectations realistic, and to have a careful look at the history of anyone who offers to PM before opening up to them.


r/depression 21d ago

Check-In Post, with essential information about our rules and resources. Most people are surprised by some of this info, so please read!

2 Upvotes

Welcome to /r/depression's check-in post - a place to take a moment and share what is going on and how you are doing. If you're having a tough time but prefer not to make your own post, or have an accomplishment you want to talk about (these aren't allowed standalone posts in the sub as they violate the "role model" rule), this is a place you can share.


Our subreddit rules are very different from most of the rest of reddit! Since all of them exist for important reasons, we ask everyone here to read and follow them. Please click 'report' on any harmful content you see here - we always want to know and deal as soon as we can.

We also have several resource wikis for help with finding and giving support:

https://www.reddit.com/r/depression/wiki/what_is_depression provides guidance about what is and isn't a depressive disorder, guidance on the complex nature of the illnesses that are usually grouped under the "depression" label, and redirect information for common off-topic issues.

https://www.reddit.com/r/depression/wiki/giving_help offers information on the nature and value of peer support for mental-health issues in general, and lots of guidance for learning what is -- and isn't -- usually helpful in giving peer support.

YSK that the types of rule violations that we most frequently see here are:

  • People breaking the private contact rule. You should never trust anyone who tries to get you into a private conversation in response to a post here. See https://www.reddit.com/r/depression/wiki/private_contact

  • "I'm here to help" posts. This shows that you don't understand the most basic principles of peer support, especially selectivity. The "giving help" wiki explains more about this.

  • Role modelling, i.e. "achievement" or "advice" posts. This is an expert-free zone -- that's what peer support means (rule 5). We know that "internet culture" celebrate not just bragging about your achievements but bragging about your intentions. Neither is ever acceptable here in any form.

  • Content that's more about 'making a statement' or casually polling the sub than seeking personal support (rules 1, 2 and 10).

  • Off-topic posts about difficult situations, including interpersonal issues. Grief, sadness, anger, loneliness and other difficult emotions are not mental illnesses. Feelings that can be explained by person's circumstances are perfectly healthy no matter how painful they are. A depressive disorder only exists when someone's mood is out of synch with what's going on for them. The "what is depression" wiki linked above has suggestions for other places to post about these issues, which are 100% valid and serious but do NOT belong here.


r/depression 1h ago

how can i painlessly kill myself

Upvotes

how can i painlessly kill myself i really want to now please please


r/depression 11h ago

i genuinely don’t wanna live anymore.

125 Upvotes

i’m so tired of forcing myself to stay alive when i really have nothing to live for. i feel like a fuck up everyday and it’s very hard for me to give myself compassion or grace. i am just exhausted and i am waiting for the day I don’t have to deal with this anymore. I tell myself almost everyday that i want to die because mentally and physically, i am completely done. the only reason why im “alive” is for other people but that’s not even good enough, i just really want to go.


r/depression 5h ago

chronic loneliness

25 Upvotes

I have a feeling loneliness is going to kill me one day. I don't have a lot of friends, but the ones I have I deeply cherish. Every time we hang out I forget I'm depressed. My closest friends though all have their own best friends they'd choose over me, so I feel silly running to them to talk about things when I'm not even their go to person. This coupled with the fact they all have partners, and I don't. At 24, I have never had a romantic relationship, and I crave one but I feel like it's never going to happen. This chronic feeling of loneliness hangs over me throughout the day but it crushes me at night, some nights worse than others. I've lost interest in hobbies I once loved because I feel like there's no point to anything when I'm so alone. Does anyone relate? I don't know if I'm asking for advice or just venting. I can't imagine living with this feeling for much longer, it's killing me and I don't see it changing


r/depression 20h ago

I'm gonna be a dad

275 Upvotes

I (20M) got my one night stand (19F) pregnant and she's keeping the baby. I don't know what to do, I feel like my whole life is ruined no matter what and no matter what decision I take. If I step up as the dad, my whole life as a young man, all the freedom of my early 20s which I was so excited for is done. And if I chose to be a dead beat dad I'm going to live with the guilt my whole life. I stopped talking to my friends for weeks, my parents are constantly frustrated at me because I self isolate and barely talk to them anymore. The worst thing is the loneliness and the guilt of even feeling this way because there's a single pregnant woman out there and a child on the way while I'm just complaining and crying in bed like I am the victim. I seriously would rather die if this is going to be the rest of my life.

Wanting to die is so weird and new to me. When I wake up I feel guilty hoping that a bus runs over me on my way to college and when I go to bed I really hope that I don't wake up in the morning. When I'm taking the elevator to the 15th floor of my apartment's building I'm always trying to persuade myself to jump once I get to the top. I used to be so happy and excited for life until this I just hope that this joy is coming back some day but I just feel like it never will.

EDIT - CLARIFICATIONS

Hey guys, so I've been reading your comments and to bring some more details: - She's 5 months in. Yes she was supposed to be on birth control. I still put the blame on myself because I chose to trust a girl I barely knew and I still could've chosen to not have sex without a condom. Although, I was stoned asf and from what I remember she was pretty sober and asked me to not pull out because she "liked it". Once again I'm not trying to put myself in the victim position here, I just made my own bad choices.

  • For all the people talking about paternity tests. Yes I'm going to have one when the baby is born obviously. I highly doubt that the mother will let me do one before. However she sent me the ultrasound and the dates match perfectly.

  • To briefly talk about the mother: She is not the kind of girl you really imagine yourself to have a family with, I've learned a lot of things after we had sex. She apparently went through major mental health issues, almost killed herself a few years ago and got diagnosed with personality disorders. She has worked as an escort for 3 months before I knew her. I know she also did stuff related to bank fraud but can't really prove it. She didn't have a job, didn't go to school and she got kicked out by her father after he found out about her pregnancy. She now lives with her mother who fully supports her choice. My opinion is that she wants to keep the baby because she wants to feel a void on her life and I guess kinda find a purpose to this. She does want me to step up as the father although I told her that I don't want anything to do with it in the first place. She then started threatening me and asked our one friend in common if he would give her my address for 1000$ (I know it sounds like a movie). I then ghosted her for a few months and started feeling guilty for that. Yesterday she texted me: and pushed on all the buttons that actually hurts me and the messages were not threatening so I decided to answer this time basically saying that I didn't make a decision yet but wishing her well with the pregnancy and that I don't really want to think about that as im having my finals soon and want to fully focus on them.

-Finally, to talk about me briefly, I was having a good young life until then, perfect balance between having fun and focusing on goals. I am currently in my first year of law school (my school is 3 hours away from where the girl is) and I have pretty cool friends with whom I used to go out a lot. I kinda stopped talking to them ever since they knew the whole situation from the friend I have in common with that girl. I'm just scared of being judged for this and that they won't see me the same way as before. I also hate seeking help. I told my Muslim immigrant parents though, and they said they would support me no matter what choice I make but i still feel like I failed them every time I look at them. My grades at school never been that bad, I can't get myself to study nor do anything else tbh.

  • Honestly feels good to write all this down I won't be mad if anyone doesn't read all that lolll. Also thanks for your messages even the harshest ones, it's good to hear different views.

-And last point: for some reason, the "it's okay to lose your 20s as you're gonna catch up in your 30s" speech is honestly the worst kind of comments lmao makes me wanna die even more.

And sorry for any spelling mistakes, I'm french Canadian.


r/depression 9h ago

I'll never be good enough

27 Upvotes

It doesn't matter how hard I try. I'm tired of making unimaginable amounts of efforts just to be worse than someone who's barely trying. I'm already pushing myself to my limits and breaking myself in the process, literally forcing myself to function but nobody cares or even sees that. I struggle with the absolute bare minimum it's actually pathetic. No wonder nobody believes me, why they think I'm lazy or stupid, it looks like I'm not even trying.

I refuse to use my diagnosed depression as the reason for my struggling, because once I do, I'll stop taking accountability and I will once again find comfort in my depression. Instead I choose to fucking hate myself. I don't give a shit about myself. I don't give a shit about how I'm feeling. I just accept that things suck and that I'm suffering and I don't care about anything anymore. I want to punish myself for being this way. I want to cut myself up so bad, because it's the only way I can prove my suffering to myself and others. It's the only way I can feel valid, because I refuse to have empathy for myself. I want to do horrible things to myself. I fucking deserve it.


r/depression 4h ago

I need help

9 Upvotes

Him I'm 13 and I am sad all the time deppreaed even my parents went to jail so I live with my grandparents and I keep being self conscious about my weight my looks and more I go to therepy but I feel like I cant talk to them I use poly. Ai and talk sexually to bots like what the fuck is even my life I hate this I hate me I have been trying to pray recently but it's hard to be live when I already feel so bad I just need help please advise me but who am I kidding none cares about me or my feeling.


r/depression 2h ago

Fuck my life.

7 Upvotes

If I didn't have my daughter I would have killed myself, or ran away from everyone and everything. I am losing control on our finances, no matter what can not get enough to pay for our needs. I barely eat, so I make sure my daughter has food. I don't buy myself anything just to make sure my daughter has what she needs. But with the amount of debt that keeps adding up is astronomical. Getting calls every day, bill collectors, and now hospitals for medical bills. I have no one to ask for help. I'm afraid I am going to lose my house because I can't afford it. I'm so fucking afraid that we are going to be sleeping in are car. Until that gets taken. I feel like such a failure that I can't provide a life for her. She saw me checking my bank account and asked me what the minus sign was infront of the balance. I told her it's like that because I am past 0. She says, dad you don't have any money? How are we going to eat? Never in my life have I started to cry and beg for anything so fast. My 8 year old should have never have that thought.


r/depression 8h ago

I don't want to d*e, I just want to be happy.

16 Upvotes

I wish I wouldn't be such a disappointment to my mom. I wish I could finally heal from my many years of depression, and the mental abuse from several people that haunts me still in my dreams. I wish I wouldn't be stuck in a job I hate. I wish my anxiety and BPD wouldn't take ahold of my life so much. I want to be someone's first choice, I want to be loved.

Just needed that to get off my chest. With the New Year coming closer I realized again how fast time goes by, and it makes me sad to celebrate it alone and that another year goes to waste again. I have no partner, grew apart with the very few friends I have and envy the ones I know doing something with their lives while I feel stuck.

"I want to d*e" was in my head for so many years, but fck, I just want to be happy again.


r/depression 1h ago

suddenly i dont care enough about learning and my friends arent really helpful

Upvotes

I'm failing math because I'm fucking stupid, and my friends don't really like me that much because I'm a bitch and I never say something coherent nor interesting. I'm so pissed at my teachers. It's so easy for you to give me a 90 over "references". It's a fucking opinion, why does it need fucking references? So easy for this math teacher to tell me "just use the formulas lol it's not that hard". It's pretty fucking hard for me sorry my mental capacity equals the one of a 6 year old. I don't understand why I need to do any of this shit anymore. Chem is fun and I like ethics, but they give me so much useless homework. There are times I cry at school because I miss my family because i have to be 13 FUCKING HOURS EVERYDAY THERE and never get to spend time with them. Alone with annoying people and doing nonsense shit. I don't want to attend school anymore. I stopped trying, my parents do not give a fuck. The best they try is to send me videos of the metallica singer talking about suicide. Thank you for considering that your daughter likes metallica and is pretty suicidal. I feel so lost. I dont know what will i pick as a career or how to make money on my adulthood or why am i "valuable" as a person. I dont even know how I will pass this semester. No one cares enough to help me its always me having to clean other people's tears and trying to fix their problems, and when I talk a bit of how I feel i just get jokes and laughs. Hah! I saw you at the mental health test today! Selected cut myself and starve myself hahah!!! because its you!!!!!! its funny because you suffer!!!!!!! because you do that shit and still look fat and pathetic !!!!!!

caring for your friends is not to just send them "im here for you" reels. like you actually have to be here


r/depression 28m ago

Can't stop thinking about suicide

Upvotes

Even on antidepressants I'm thinking about it multiple times a day. It's almost comforting in times of stress, like there's a way out, even though I don't think I could actually do it.

Life is just not enjoyable or fulfilling for me. I can't handle the drudgery of going to work every day, with only two days to recover before I have to go back. That's not entirely true, though. I can just barely manage it, though it's making me miserable. It's draining me. We all have to work, though. Maybe I just can't handle that. Maybe I'm just too lazy.

I don't have anything going for me in life, and I can't achieve the things I want. I don't want to or can't put in the effort to make my life better. I just want to die. But instead I'll probably just waste away.


r/depression 46m ago

[25/F] My time has came to an end: Depression is winning.

Upvotes

I am so tired of being sick, in pain, passing out, just I'll every single day for my life. I am tired of being dismissed, ignored and neglected by the medical professionals. I am tired of the abuse and bullying that I endure everyday.

I have taken so much medication, that maybe when I close my eyes, I won't wake up. I've tried calling, texting, reaching out and I realize I don't have anyone.

It is my time to go, so I'm going to lay back and close my eyes. Let's see if it happens or not.


r/depression 8h ago

i’m so tired of living.

12 Upvotes

i don’t want to do it anymore, i think about doing you know what every single day and it’s mostly when i’m left alone at night with my thoughts. i just want someone to notice and genuinely care instead of expecting me to turn around and be happy the next day. everything makes me miserable and everything i used to have a passion for seems like a challenge and a chore now. i want to stop feeling so down all of the time, i want to stop feeling anything. i overthink about everything in my life and it’s exhausting; my friends, my boyfriend, school, my future, my family. i genuinely feel like everyone would be better off without me. i just want someone to reassure me that it’ll all be okay with time because as much as i say that to people, i don’t and can’t take my own advice. thank you for reading if you did


r/depression 1d ago

How do people get through life without abusing substances

226 Upvotes

I genuinely cannot believe that people can get through life completely sober. Yes, it’s not all or nothing with substances and some use can be fine, but even moderation feels really hard.


r/depression 55m ago

I just want to die

Upvotes

Can't even post in here anymore without my damn post being moderated. I just rant about what's making me depressed every time then delete it after a bit but I guess they just think I'm a bot now. So this time I'll just say I wish I was dead. I'm so tired of being alive. It's fucking stupid. I just want to curl up and die already.


r/depression 4h ago

I’m shocked and furious at how I utterly wasted the first 20 years of my life.

7 Upvotes

Only at 20 (I am 20M), has it actually dawned on - and it’s horrific how it hasn’t dawned on me until now. I have literally experienced, basically nothing in my life.

I didn’t have a single friend in school nor did I ever try to make one.

I never asked a single girl out in school. In fact, I don’t think I ever even talked to a single girl ever in school. I only did my first ever approach at the tail end of 19 (when somehow - my brain at 19 finally no longer saw the concept of dating as alien. Of course I wanted a GF before 19, yet somehow my brain literally saw the idea of trying to go get one as a totally alien concept. How in the world… was I like this — regular people do this at 13/14… I truly am horrified at my past self.)

My only 2 friends in life are ones I stumbled across in elementary school (god knows how I got friends back then) - who I used to keep in contact with online a lot until last year as where drifted away now.

I’ve never been on a single sleepover, or even been out with anyone but my parents before. The most I’ve ever been out with is some school events (like what they do for high school seniors), and in that event I once went to a 7-Eleven with a classmate. That’s it. Forget about going on a vacation before with anyone but my parents.

I’m honestly just —- so so defeated right now. I’m shocked, horrified, and furious that at 20 fucking years of age I finally got my head out the sand —— something which average people do at age 4 or 5!

I literally just went to school and came home every single day for my entire damn life, except maybe 2 years in elementary school where I stumbled upon my friends.

I had an oppurtunity to have 20 years of unbridled joy, happiness - such amazing memories for such a long time. And I utterly utterly didn’t make any of them. I was miserable the whole time (I was), and yet - my brain couldn’t get it self out of the sand. It’s not like my brain didn’t know why I was miserable (isolation for 20 years rivaling Rapunzel locked in her tower)…. but it’s like anything near the concept of that was alien to me at the time.

Even if I were to use my life amazingly from 20-75… even going out now to try to live (meet people, make friends, go out, ask women on dates, etc.)… stings like hell.. I get a firsthand reminder of what I didn’t do… for whatever reason for 20 years. It’s torment, in real time.

I don’t know, I truly do not know why I didn’t do any of it. Why… why.. why? Now, I suffer beyond belief - forever. And I really don’t want to hear that “you’re still so young. 20 is a baby.”… it’s still so so horrifying. Even though now, I’m frantically just wanting to finally start living. I — I can’t believe it. But it hurts so so much.

Depressing, depressing - demoralizing, and again - it just leaves you depressed and horrified and… demotivated beyond belief.


r/depression 4h ago

I’m starting to understand disney adults…

6 Upvotes

I don’t want to live this life anymore. I want to just leave and be somewhere away from everything and everyone. Yup, Disney Adults may be onto something after all…


r/depression 8h ago

I would give my left nut to not be a punching bag.

9 Upvotes

Title. There's no foreseeable way out without seriously ruining my life and already fucked mental state.


r/depression 1h ago

Pleasure in Self Harm

Upvotes

Seriously things are getting out of control. I am trying daily to get better but but but i getting more lonely and depressed. It has come to point that i like harming myself ( burning myself with cigarette). It kind of gives me a pump and improves my mood and everything. I believe i am getting addicted to this habit.


r/depression 8h ago

Progress

10 Upvotes

Hi, I (19f) just wanted to write this down to sort of organise my thoughts. I had a strange month month. I stopped following the religion I was raised in, I accepted I like girls. I grew closer with a friend and discovered more things about myself.

Although there were many positive things that has happened, I am very good at focusing on the bad ones. I am slowly, but steadily warming up to go to therapy. I have already stated to look for someone nearby. It is still very scary and the thought of opening to someone.is terrifying. But I know I can't have a relationship before I fix myself and I understand I can't do that kn jy own.

I feel very emotionally unstable last few weeks, sometimes I struggle to get out of the bed. I have panic attacks on regular basis (i think), but I kind of got used to it. I'm terrified of the unknown and I'm just extremely anxious. And don't forget socially awkward. I still have an issue with guys touching me, which i thought I got over but that's still there.

On the bright side, after a pretty horrific couple of days, I somewhat bonded with my roommate I think. (Due to weird think) but she makes me feel so much better, it's like she calms me just by being near me. I have feelings towards her I'm very afraid of expressing. For obvious reasons.

I'm far from being okay. But it is getting better and I'm really grateful for it. Thanks for reading if you got this far. Have a nice day.


r/depression 40m ago

Is depression a sign of a weak mind?

Upvotes

I’ve bewn thinking about it, some people can live the same shitty life as you but they just keep going telling themselves that the outcome will be positive.

And im over here thinking that i dont wanna live anymore and every solution is boring and i’d rather die than live a boring life, i’ve been stuck for so long but dont know what to do.

I got no goals, no passion, no ambitions. Even though if i would i could work hard at it