And know what you will say to the depressed person

Thank you very much!
One friend is an atheist and the other is a believer [they were still depressed but not as severely as them], I can barely convince the believer or even talk to him, but every now and then he asks me about these issues again.
But regarding the atheist, not only was I unable to talk to him about this issue, I also emotionally do not feel able to argue with him because I do not think there is a “right” way to convince him (of course, according to him, there cannot be a way for either side, not only to commit suicide but also to choose life according to his method due to the naturalistic fallacy, but it is natural that as a result, from his point of view, the choice in any way can only be ”like this” according to him, and therefore this is the idea I brought up in section 3, that the body will attract him instead of any other desire or thought).
All the ossies didn't really help me convince him at the time, although their methods of how to formulate it in speech (which I've already pretty much forgotten) helped for a few moments.
Anyway, since there's also a religious guy, does the rabbi have any more ideas? Or just for mildly depressed people who aren't in a state of suicide but just want to shed all their burdens, like quitting their jobs and dropping out of school and not getting out of bed...
Isn't there another loophole in the question? [If state of affairs A is tempting/better/more pleasant/easier than B, why not do A].
It's just that every time after talking to someone about this topic, I'm skeptical if there isn't another loophole I didn't think of. And I understand almost nothing about psychology.

In the 21st of Kislev, 5771

Lk. ’ – Hello,

Persuasion with intellectual arguments can help against intellectual arguments, but what good is an intellectual argument when the problem is will? When a person has lost the will to live – this will need to be instilled in him.

Sometimes despair comes from the person's feeling that no one cares about him. Here, listening with interest and sharing in his grief will help. The very ability of the sufferer to vent his grief to a listening friend – eases the grief a little.

Sometimes a person feels trapped, in a problem with no way out. Here, sometimes the friend who listens can tell that he or an acquaintance of his, too, went through a similar problem and was able to get out of it. And sometimes when the sufferer explains his distress to his friend – He finds the way to solve the ’bummer’ himself.

And sometimes effective help is in the form of ‘concern in the heart of a man – will distract him from his troubles’. Invite the sufferer to engage in a fun activity together that will distract him from his troubles.

Solving the sufferer's problem from the ground up – often requires the help of a professional, but listening and caring – can help, whether a little or a lot.

Best regards, Yaron Noam Spiegel-Borlai

Regarding the desire to settle down in bed, it is worth noting that lying down for a long time may lead to ’pressure sores’, and, after a few hours in bed, even that is boring 🙂

Best regards, Adir from Hur Humor

Thank you, I know most of the things, except for “and sometimes effective help is in the way of ‘worry in a man’s heart – it will distract him from his mind’. Invite the sufferer to engage in a fun activity together that will distract him from his troubles a little.” I didn’t do this *enough* with them. Do you have any ideas for these activities in a Pelophone conversation?

Mr. Humor It is important to note that these are people I don’t know who suffer from pressure sores, but they have been in bed/are lying in bed, some for over several years in a row… so this is not something temporary in the style of day in and day out in the shower… for some it has been several consecutive years of showering and showering even if it is far away on the horizon. [And there are those who describe the absence as the same shower..]
But by God, the salvation of God came in the blink of an eye.

On the 1st of Kislev, 5751

Lk. ’ – Hello,

An idea that will not only keep the guy busy and distracted, but also give him a feeling of value and meaning, is: ask for his help.

For example, you suffer from a lack of time to study Torah due to the pressure at university. Ask the guy to arrange a fellowship with you on a Torah subject that he has basic knowledge of. Start with fifteen minutes a week, and it is likely that it will become more.

A person often gets depressed because he feels worthless. It may be that he failed in a big task that he expected (or that others expected) that he would succeed in, and when he fails – he feels like a zero.

In this terrible situation, when a person is allowed to succeed in small things, to feel that even in his situation he can be of help to others – His self-image and confidence can improve dramatically.

I came across this method when I was in a paramedic course, more than twenty years ago. They explained to us that the current policy regarding victims of ‘battle shock’ is that they are evacuated from the battlefield, but they are left not far away. They are brought to the hospital and the paramedics employ them as much as possible as ’auxiliary force’, carrying stretchers or arranging equipment, etc. This way the guy comes out of the shock a little and begins to ‘come back to himself’.

Maybe the depressed guy also got ‘battle shock’ from the hardships of life, and giving him the opportunity to help a friend in whatever way he can and without pressure – can get him out of his depression.

Best regards, Yaron Noam Spiegel Borlai