Anon, I know you are trying to help, but I think you need to listen to what people are saying here. It will help you when you are working with people who have similar problems, if that is what you are planning to do.

Depression can indeed be caused by the way a person reacts to their circumstances. That is very true. They can be stuck in negative ways of thinking, and negative assumptions which are not based on objective facts. And people can create their own anxiety with excessive worrying, this is also true.

However, this is where a lot of therapists draw a line, and what people here are telling you is that sometimes a person simply has no control over these problems because the root cause is physiological rather than psychological. This, too, is very real. I think maybe you have not experienced the phenomenon yourself -- lucky you LOL. But sometimes depression strikes a person for no apparent reason, though they may be quite a positive person with no real troubles in their life. And anxiety can come out of nowhere too. Believe me, I've heard it all myself. I need to "lighten up." I need to look on the bright side (I often do). I make too much of my own problems, I'm a hypochondriac. If I learned how to relax at night I wouldn't feel anxious. (I do relax, I do not sit here worrying. The anxiety comes and goes and has no dependence on what I am thinking at the time.) Can you see why people are getting so angry at being told that if they just sort their heads out, they will find these problems will go away. It often isn't that simple.

I would ask you to have a look at other threads here. Look at what people are doing to make themselves better, and the advice they are giving each other. Diet and supplements can go a long way toward healing depression and anxiety that are otherwise intractable. Many people are here because they believe that mercury poisoning is also playing a part. These things can all have a huge effect on how the body, and the brain, function.

I would urge you to look into this before you become one of the therapists who, when no progress is being made, decide that a) the person is being uncooperative or doesn't really want to get better, or b) needs drugs.

Regards,
Linda.