Thread: Advice needed re depression

I am the youngest girl in a family of 7 children. All my brothers and sisters have left home and I am the only one living with my parents. I want to leave and move into my own place as I am very independent but i dare not as I fear for my mother's wellbeing.

My mother, although I am not a doctor or medical professional of any kind, I think is quite depressed. She is 63 and smokes about 30 cigarettes a day and even though the doctor has told her she has an enlarged liver and emphysema and could die in a matter of years, she isnt that eager to give up on smoking. she tells me she is done with life and has nothing to live for.
I never remember my parents bickering but lately my father has got upset and told me he feels my mom thinks he is boring because she never wants to go to the cinema with him, or a walk with him, or go out to dinner with him.
she says she has lived a life of duty and never done anything exciting with her life. (which is not entirely true)

I don't know what to do, she is very stubborn and I try to give her about smoking and tell her she has things to live for but she gets angry and brushes me off. I asked, wouldn't living be worth while if she got to see me graduate and become good at my profession, to see me walk down the aisle with the man i loved and know I was setting out on a new adventure in my life? But she just shrugged.

Please, if anyone has read this, if you could just let me know there is a way of helping her out, I would do anything for my mom If i knew how to make her better.
Please if you have any suggestions.
Please

I'm sorry no one has offered any suggestions since....when was this last posted? Sometimes it's hard to read ALL the new threads.

I feel for you and your mom and dad. I suffer from depression...and quite honestly still haven't sought help for it. I was about to go to an appt. a couple of months ago to discuss meds I would take but backed out because I was having a 'good day'.

Admitting to depression is a very hard thing to do, especially someone in their 60's. Things were different back then and the outlook on depression was mostly looked down upon. Your mother may very well be having a hard time accepting herself as being depressed or may be oblivious to it.

If you have already tried talking to her, then I suggest talking with her doctor or maybe even your own doctor to get suggestions as to how to handle this situation.

Hope this has helped...sorry I couldn't be more helpful.