Hello,

My daughter is still doing terrible. She says I am not validating her enough. I am scared if I agree the situation is hopeless she will kill herself. She has thoughts of suicide a lot but says she can stay safe for now after we discuss it… I feel like no matter what I do it is wrong and not helping. She is trying magnetic stimulation for depression. She is trying a new med. She has side effects to everything and no benefit. She barely moves and eats lots of processed food. I buy it for her because if she doesn’t eat she gets even more lethargic. She has eating disorder symptoms and obesity now,  too. She will not take walks with anyone. She has no close friends and if she socializes she feels fake and worse after.

What can I say when she says how bad she feels. “Sorry and that is so hard”…seems like empty words. How can I validate her  depression without becoming as depressed as she is? She is coming to me for comfort and I don’t know how to respond anymore. It’s been over 2 years.  She does go to therapy and she is polite, takes meds, doesn’t do drugs but she is so limited in her life right now. I am sad. Life can be so much more.

– Melissa