depressed friend

An old friend from grade school moved away years ago, we've kept a little bit of contact over the years. He was a peace keeper over in a rough country and I believe the stress caused from seeing all the hard ships and death over there has caused his depression.

Nothing I can say is going to make it better of course, but what kind of things can I say to be supportive? (I'm not good at this). ty

That sounds like a really rough situation for your friend.. very unsurprising that he's having issues with depression..

It's difficult to give much advice here because everyone deals with things in very different ways..

I think the best advice that i can give is for you to follow your friends lead.. listen to what he wants and watch out for ways that you can show him that he matters to you.

Some people want to talk.. some people want to simply spend relaxed time with someone that won't pressure them..
what type of person is he..? what does he enjoy doing..?


Consider doing something nice for him.. maybe if he's struggling with any particular task (housework etc) then tell him that you think he deserves a break and that you'll do his housework for the day to make sure he takes one.
Importantly here though.. make it clear that you're doing it to give him a rest, not because you think he's struggling with it.. depressed people can at times get a touch snappy if they feel that you think they're struggling.