(((((Teigyr)))))) ((((((Teigyr's friend)))))

It's great that you want to help your friend and I agree with what everyone else had said. Please understand that this is her battle, one that she will need plenty of help with, but I disagree with you that you can help her want to get better. She may tell you that she wants to get better but until she actually takes action there's not anything you can do. When and if she does that then you can be supportive by celebrating her successes (no matter how little), encouraging her, and offering her a different perspective than her own.

Starting with that walk is a great idea to get her out both for her physical and mental health. Hopefully it's something she will keep doing on her own. I agree with Oakleaf that a job at this time may not be the best for her. If she has any kind of setback she may use that as reinforcement for her not to move forward.

Does she do any type of craft? Perhaps encourage her to take one up. I used to know some people of limited mobility and dealing with ailing health that used their crafting skills to help others. It gave them a sense of self worth and a reason to get up in the mornigs, plus it keeps their minds occupied from focusing on their illness.

Examples:

-Friend R's mom likes to crochet. Mostly she crochets baby blankets that she donates to the hospital she has dialysis at. People started seeking her out to do full size throws for them so she now earns a bit of income that basically pays for more yarn and such.

-When I worked at Kmart, there was a gentlmen that came in regualarly to buy our inexpensive oops cans of paint which he used to paint birdhouses that he built from scrap wood he found. These he gave away to his community. If a kid in his neighborhood showed interest, he helped them to build their own.

-At my tellemarketing job(inbound calls only, so I wasn't pestering anyone, honest) there were a couple of very crafty women who knitted tiny preemie hats and shirts for local hospitals. I believe they did this for a charity organization which helped pick up part of the costs for supplies and whose members were willing to teach any newcomer the necessary skills.

It may take some research on her part to match up her interests to the right charity. I think that may be one of the things that Goodwill does, but I'm not entirely sure.

As for her treatment, is she getting any type of counseling at all? From my experience medication alone is not effective for long-term management for depression. She needs to learn coping skills to help her through what she is feeling and to deal with the stresses that comes with life. Medication is a tool that can help facilitate learning those skills but in of itself I feel that it is a poor substitution for treatment. They help to quiet down many of the negative emotions and thoughts that one is having but it can also take away from enjoying life too. IMHO, that's no way to live. She needs to seek a public clinic that concentrates on couselling. Usually they'll start out with one on one sessions with a licenced therapist and then she can move into a group setting when she is more comfortable opening up while continuing individual counseling.

The most important thing for her right now, IMO, is for her to take that first step. It doesn't matter what she does as long she puts in the effort to move forward. If she is able to that then she'll be able to build on it and move on her own momentum.(Is that clear?) Then you can encourage her and be a soft place for her to land when she falls.

~sg -who was a shut-in for a year of her life due to panic attacks that were symtoms of anxiety and depression (left untreated for years), almost lost everything, and realized I had to do it for myself- tiger