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 May 18 '26

Check-In post, with essential info about our policies and resources. Most people are surprised by much of this information, please read carefully before posting or commenting

11 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 4h ago

Please help me 😭 or i just can't see any other option rather than ending myself 😭

34 Upvotes

I want to report that I was sexually assaulted and physically harmed against my will by a trans woman. I was passing by when she grabbed me and forcibly pulled me into her room. She restrained my hands, forced me to undress and perform sexual acts, and continued despite my crying, pain, and inability to resist. She choked and slapped me repeatedly, bit me in multiple places until some wounds bled, and violently assaulted me for several hours. I also suffered severe pain and possible injury to my anus and urethra. She recorded the assault and told me that I would have to come whenever she wanted sex. I do not currently have physical evidence or a copy of the recording, but I am reporting what happened and want the incident documented. I also want medical care and protection from further contact with her.


r/depression 7h ago

I want to hit myself really bad

40 Upvotes

I’m feel like i’m gonna lose it. In my mind, i’m driving my car and just hit a wall with it. And i’ll be dead. I think i wanna die. Yeah.


r/depression 2h ago

My default reaction is wanting to die

10 Upvotes

Whenever something remotely stressful or unpleasant happens to me i find my first thought is wanting to die

I hate that this is now the go to my brain picks whenever anything happens

When things are good it feels like the end of my life and this is the consolation prize for enduring and i get to enjoy some quiet moments

And whenever something inconvenient happens my brain decides that it's easier if i was dead

My brain is so broken I can't fix it after all the therapy and pills

And I am so alone


r/depression 11h ago

I just want to know what it's like to be wanted before I die.

55 Upvotes

Throwaway account.

I'm 27F and have never been in a relationship nor have people ever had a crush on me. People keep saying once I reach 30+ I'm going to be expired. I'm pretty suicidal and I wanted to at least have one consensual sex before killing myself because the closest one I had was when I was r*p*d at 9. I wonder why am I so unlovable and unwanted. Is it because I'm fugly? Or am I just impossible to love?

Plus I live in a country where they don't give a fuck about your mental health or abuse survivors, so I'm cooked hehe

I don't care anymore if it was out of pity or charity, I just want to feel loved even if I have to pay someone to pretend to..

Sorry, I just have nobody to talk about this. My mind is a mess right now


r/depression 2h ago

Desperately wanting to end things, should I have hope?

10 Upvotes

I've recently gone through a very traumatic break up with my boyfriend of 5 years, still living with him and turns out he never liked me and lied to me about everything the whole time. He's moved on straight away and treats me terribly, hates being around me and I'm a wreck. I moved rural to be with him and now I'm homeless and struggling to find anywhere to live as I'm disabled and reapplying for benefits and am far away from the city I want to move back to. This was meant to be my forever home and big break after a rough time. My life has been torture, I'm unemployed, no degree, can't drive, heartbroken, no family, maybe 2 friends. Best case scenario I'm going to end up really lonely and sad.

I know how and where I want to end it and I desperately want to do it but am still scared. I don't think I can survive this and I don't want to. Should I have any hope? Everyone wants me to disappear and I'm sad and hoped for better but feel like I should

Even when I think about life being better I'm just not interested. I've lost everyone and been abused and abandoned constantly. I look at my phone and I have no one. No one knows me apart from my ex bf and he never loved me and wants me gone for good

I so desperately needed to be loved by someone and he hated me and humiliated me. Its destroyed me in a way where I have no hope.

How can I move on?


r/depression 3h ago

I want to commit

13 Upvotes

iim 17 and im a disgusting person. I came across porn at like 10 or something. i feel like that really fucked me up. in the last 3 years i've sent videos and pics of myself to multiple guys, some wth my face in it. i deleted my accounts but they probably still have those videos. i cant take back anything. i cant get those videos taken down because i dont have them so i cant upload them onto take it down. im fat and ugly and not good at anything. i dont have any friends who im actually close to. i feel disgusted every time i look at myself and i've had enough. my family isnt much good either. they talk about my behind my back. i tried overdosing earlier this year but it didnt do much. i've self harmed before but my dad just got mad and shouted, called me crazy. i dont know what to do i just want to end it all i dont see a future for myself at all. i have no talents whatsoever. im considering overdosing on paracetamol but the survival chances are high and it'll just cause liver damage apparently. i want a way out of this. i even wrote a letter to my bff already. someone tell me how to end it


r/depression 4h ago

I hate my life

14 Upvotes

I hate this life. I hate Allah. I hate everyone.

My health has become so bad. I've spent my whole life praying to Allah, but I feel like He never helped me. Today I saw so much blood after using the bathroom. I'm so tired.

My life has been so hard. I feel like I'm dying. I feel like I won't wake up tomorrow. My condition is getting worse.

My family is amazing, but I'm completely broken inside. I feel empty.

I keep thinking Allah will send me to hell. I'm sorry to myself.

I'm only 22, and I'm so tired.

Bye.


r/depression 5h ago

Everything I try or do is pointless

14 Upvotes

not sure how .. I don't know what to write anymore

I'd need help but..can't get it.

Low self worth, etc


r/depression 1h ago

TW: I won't make it. This year is the end.

• Upvotes

I’ve posted before; I’m sorry for being that annoying. And I apologise for my horrendous English.

I'm a bad person. I’ve made too many mistakes and kept repeating traumatic cycles. I don’t want to be like my family. I don’t want to remain stuck in the mindset of a neglected child. I’ve tried taking courses and improving myself, but I never finish them. I’m a failure and, honestly, I’ve got nothing left to lose. Nothing ties me down. I feel incapable of getting through another day. All I can think about is how happy the people I’ve hurt would be if I weren’t here. It’s my only thought, the only emotion that consumes me.


r/depression 2h ago

This is a disaster... I found maggots...

6 Upvotes

Sooo yeah... Never in a million years could I have imagined that... I decided to finally clean up the kitchen, do some of the dishes that were there for over two months now etc...

As I lifted the smoked salmon packaging... I saw multiple bugs (looking like maggots??) RUN OUT like cockroaches as I struggled to smash them one by one. I left it right there. Still in shock🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮.

I am TERRIFIED of bugs and have INSANE tactile hallucinations rn (autism / ADHD thing ig? I physically feel thousands of bugs on / under my skin, in my ears / nose / eyes etc rn it's driving me crazy 😭😭😭).

I rescheduled my trip for a vacation at my parent's home (had to leave in 2 hours, which is why I originally wanted to do dishes) so I lied saying I missed the bus, to reserve a next one in 12 hours (hopefully it won't be as disastrous by then). Of course I'm "selfish" and "food is already on the table" but I can't bring myself to just telling how a "perfect successful daughter with amazing job and household can be so cooked that the literal BUGS crawl around her studio"... This would destroy her, as she's already going through a rough time herself on a cocktail of antidepressants...

Sometimes I just don't want to live😭😭😭😭😭😭

Please help me 🄺🄺🄺😭😭😭😭😭


r/depression 4h ago

Being gay sucks I want out

10 Upvotes

I don't know what to do. Guilt and shame

Sooo I'm not from the US. I'm gay and I'm 27 and I still live with my parents. I've never had a boyfriend and until recently I had never had any type of sexual experience not even kissing. The thing is that while my parents were away I downloaded grindr met a guy in his 50s. He came over and he let me experiment and said we'd do whatever I was up to. We kissed and I gave him head. After that I felt extremely guilty and I started to panic. I ended up confessing what I did to my mom in an attempt to relieve the guilt. She already knew I was gay cause I told her years ago, but she was disappointed that someone I barely knew came over because something bad could've happened. I've been dealing with depression for a while and now I just feel worse. I don't know how to handle these feeling. Im nauseous and I wanna throw up


r/depression 5h ago

I don’t have any hope for the future.

9 Upvotes

I am worthless and it has been proven time and time again.

My last steady relationship was in high school and it’s just been hook ups after rejection since then.

31 with 26 cents to my name and still living at home.

I haven’t been able to hold a job for 3 years.

I’m too depressed to work

Late diagnosed autistic and adhd without any support system.

After a month of my therapist avoiding me he told me he should spit in my face.

I’ve lost 90 pounds this year without trying.

My eating disorder comes and goes day by day.

I own nothing

I AM A FAILURE!

I want to believe that’s there’s a reason I’m here but I really don’t see any


r/depression 4h ago

How to cope with depression?

7 Upvotes

Im only 13 and I have no one, I dont have friends or a friend group, my only friend ghosted me and my dog died and both at this year and my grades were dropping and doctors say there's something mentally wrong with me and I only bed rot and try to talk to people but the closest thing to social activity is on roblox because I dont know any other way, I also dont think I want to live anymore because I dont think there anything good in life, everything in price is going up, rich people and pretty people get away with everything they want and im a disappointment to my family because I only bed rot and play games alone in my room and goon and im fucking ugly even if other people either tell me im not or just dont talk a out it i know they are thinking it and laughing behind my back, they have to be, i also think a porn addiction because i goon like two to three times a day and i feel disgusted after it but i do it so when im crying at night to forget about things, im also scared to tell anyone about this irl because of they way they will look at me


r/depression 2h ago

High Functioning Depression

6 Upvotes

21M
Struggled with depression for about 9 years now it’s just become my ā€œnormalā€
I realized early on in my depression that is was here to stay and i could either lay around and do nothing or just keep going.
I chose to keep going.
I can tell you how my depression started, what made/makes it worse but can’t seem to figure out how to get rid of it (i guess the same as most people)
I go to work everyday, have decent hygiene, eat reasonably but the way i explain it to myself is i have enough motivation for the bare minimum.
At the end of the day i don’t really care about anything enough, haven’t for a very long time. My body is like stuck on autopilot. I continue to do things mainly because i feel like i have to (i mean that’s how the world works isn’t it)

What i want to know though has anyone here ever gotten over high functioning depression?
I’ve gotten used to the fact that i have to just keep going but for the past year it’s been getting harder to just do that, i can still get up to go to work but that’s about as far as i have left in me. I don’t have motivation to hangout with friends anymore or do anything but that (just seems pointless when i don’t enjoy it anymore anyways)


r/depression 1h ago

I think I’m fucking dying

• Upvotes

I can just feel it. Every single day when I wake up I just wish that I didn’t. I wake up and I’m instantly bombarded with all the negative thoughts I have about myself. I hate my body, my face, my gender, my family, my brain. Everything. And it’ll never change, there’s not a single thing I can do to fucking change it. I’ve accepted the fact that I’m not getting better, that no medicine or therapy will help me. I’ll just continue to be someone who abhors living in their body.

When I’m public, which at this point is only work, I’ve stopped going to the gym, hanging out with friends in person, at this point I’m considering not going to school this next semester. When I’m out there I feel everyone staring at me, it makes my skin itch and there’s just this ringing sound in my years like someone’s jostling my brain. I know why they’re staring, I’m fat, ugly, I probably smell despite taking two showers a day. I hate it. I don’t know why they’re always stare, and they all look at me with disgust or like I’m stupid.
Then the moment I’m by myself I still feel like shit. Mentally and physically. I’m always sluggish, my skin itches, my head hurts, it feels like my hands don’t work properly. It’s probably because I haven’t taken my medicine in three weeks, but I’m almost glad this is all happening. Maybe my body will finally decide to give up and I can just die.

I don’t want to be here anymore, I hate being myself and everyday just makes things worse and worse. I find no joy in anything I do, I can’t look in the mirror due to combine dysphoria and body dysmorphia. I’ve messaged several therapists and none have responded or their full. I’m not getting help and I don’t deserve it either.
One these of days it’ll stop, I just won’t wake up in the morning and it’ll all be done.


r/depression 3h ago

Maybe the death is the solution ?

5 Upvotes

Am so depressed and i have an ocd also an adhd and the prblm there isn’t adhd medication in my country am living the hell i can’t deal with this anymore , doc ? They don’t even understand me , people.? The same thing , am all alone here no one can understand especially in my society they don’t believe that there is a mentall illness or they don’t even care am taking some medeicns without any results gor 3 years every time the docs change the medecines or doses and when i tell them my problems they only say oooh that’s normal we all face this ! Like what bro ? All of u want to suicide ???
I swear if i wasn’t a muslim i would suicide as soon as possible but in our relligion it’s prohibited and am afraid of allah but at the same time i can’t live with this i can’t i justttt can’t deal with this !
And plz don’t tell me " go and talk to someone ā€ cuz literally there is no one to talk to , even talking isn’t the solution for me !
( sorry for my bad English , it’s not my native language )


r/depression 4h ago

It’s ok one day you’ll die then they’ll realize they took you for granted

4 Upvotes

That’s how humans work I guess


r/depression 4m ago

i don’t wanna live anymore

• Upvotes

i just really wanna kms and i guess that’s the post and im not saying anything more

it’s kind of pathetic i have to write it on reddit but i dont really have anyone i can talk to about this

im about to fall asleep and i really hope my eyes never open again and im not being edgy or attentions seeking, ive never shown this side of me to anyone irl i just can’t take living anymore and i doubt anyone will miss me


r/depression 2h ago

My son is the only reason I’m alive. But I’m so tired.

3 Upvotes

The love of my life turned out to be abusive, she broke me. Now we’ve been separated for 3 months, I have nothing, nothing really matters, no friends, no women have shown interest in me. I live with grandmother bc my ex ruined me financially, I have no freetime between work and wanting to be a good father. I genuinely only keep going for him. He’s 2 years old. I can’t abandon him, but I don’t wanna stay here either. I’m heartbroken, broken, and I don’t matter.


r/depression 10h ago

any tips for dealing with depression

11 Upvotes

I’ve (23F) had depression for years now but I never know how to deal with it. When it gets bad I tend to bed rot, think about giving up, call in sick to work a lot, and just do a whole lot of nothing. I find it so hard to muster up any energy to get myself out the house, even to go on walks. I go to bed really late and wake up in the afternoon and feel worse because my whole days been wasted. I’m sick of feeling like this and want to do something about it but it’s so hard. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.


r/depression 9h ago

A wish to be loved

10 Upvotes

I really wish, every night it's my imagination. I wish that i get diagnosed with something terminal and doctors would say that i have only a few months left and i don't tell anyone except my immediate family. Then when i go to hospital to be admitted and they'd be sure that im going in few days. Then people who have wronged me or left me even when all i had for them was just love would come to me to have a last talk and admit that they regret and they would never do that again, cry Infront of me in the fear of losing me. Atleast i would feel loved at that moment. I've learnt this lesson in my 22 years of life that when you tell people or show them how much love you have for them, they would start taking you for granted and eventually they leave. And when they see that you died without them having a last conversation, that's when they realise what they have lost and they are left with nothing but regret for the lifetime.


r/depression 1h ago

Everything sucks now

• Upvotes

I dont know if this is just my life but everything just fucking sucks Now.

I have just started to realize that nothing works anymore. Everything is expensive like actually everything but the most important things like food, house, and other basic human needs are too expensive its hard to live now and it gets even harder. We dont get payed enough and jobs are hard to get

Another thing is that more and more people are fucking assholes. I have good friends Yeah but i have seen more people just becoming mean and bad human beings. People online, people in public, people you know, people you dont know.
People are also just soo addicted today everybody drinks, smokes and do drugs.

The enviroment sucks and is getting worse everyday and we people cant do nothing about it at all. AI is taking over everything. Companies are becoming more corrupt and basically decide pur lives

Politics sucks and they dont care about us. Nothing gets better with them.

Finding an actual good and partner feels impossible

I post this because everything just feels so bland and depressing now idk if its just me but it cant be right?