I have a friend who is my age and he is one of my good friends, but he has a couple problems. He is always depressed. He used to cut himself, and he says he doesn’t do that now, but I still worry. He is getting into drink and things like that nature. What do I do? Should I be worried or am I overreacting.
Signed,
Jamie, 17, kansas city KS
Dear Jamie,

You sound like a good friend. Without knowing your friend, it would be impossible for me to say if you’re overreacting. But if, in fact, he is “always depressed,” that is reason enough to be worried. His drinking on top of his depression is further cause for concern. I would recommend that you first approach him directly with your concern, if you haven’t already. Let him know you’re worried about him, that you want to be there for him and ask if there is anything you can do.

If he is not interested in taking steps to get help for himself, I encourage you to speak with a responsible adult who knows him (a family member of his, a teacher or school counselor) and let that person know of your concerns. He might be pissed at you for “meddling” in his life, but you might consider whether it is better to err on the side of “meddling,” than to take no action and have your friend harm himself.

Trevor