“My Sister Called Me ‘Too Depressed To Babysit,’ So I Showed Her What That Really Meant”

Family is where we expect unconditional support, but sometimes, it's where disagreements cut the deepest.

On the subreddit r/TwoHotTakes, a woman who goes by the nickname VeterinarianOk7010 shared how her sister, a mother of three, often counted on her for help with childcare. She always said yes, until one night, her mental health struggles became too overwhelming and she needed to rest.

However, the sister was anything but understanding.

It sounds like the sister isn't very familiar with the affects of poor mental health. But the truth is, it takes a toll on our entire well-being, including the ability to work, and our relationships with friends, family, and the broader community.

Mental health conditions are not uncommon. Hundreds of millions suffer from them yearly, and many more do over the entire course of their lives. It's estimated that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men will experience major depression at some point. Other conditions, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are less common but still have a large impact on people’s lives.

During depressive episodes, various symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day, and may include:

Can you imagine babysitting three (!) kids even with only a few of these?

If someone in our family has depression, there are also things that we can do to help that person. Although you can't "fix" them, even words can have an impact. According to experts, saying these things might help:

On the other hand, phrases like these only make the situation worse:

 I think we can agree the sister's message belongs on the second list, too.