There is no point treating a depressed person as though she were just feeling sad, saying, 'There now, hang on, you'll get over it.' Sadness is more or less like a head cold- with patience, it passes. Depression is like cancer
But still, how is one suppossed to address it if "Just try not to give up" is out of the question? Again, you can't physically make someone see a doctor or get anti-depressants, and even depression is temporary, it takes years to get over, but it's certainly not a never-ceasing veil of darkness.