Depression remedies

[SarfEast1cated]

hi there, I hope you can help. A 'friend' is having problems with depression. Every now and then he sort of grinds to a halt, gets really tired and down and just wants to sleep all the time. Is there anything that he could take? He has BUPA through work, but not sure it that covers counseling. If it does, is CBT the best or is there something better...
Any help you can give would be really appreciated as it's really sad to see him so down. Thanks in advance

anybody?

Depending on what's actually causing his issues, CBT may or may not be the right therapy for him: if he's got BUPA cover, and hasn't had any treatment for depression in the last two years (this is usually the criteria, though it depends on the exact wording of the policy: usually, though, once you've been free of treatment for something for 2 years, it "resets" the clock) he may well be covered - though in some cases, psychiatric treatment is a separate add-on. I think his best option right now is to check what's covered and what's excluded in his policy, and then to speak to his GP. He could also call whatever their hotline number is - the one where you get connected with a medical professional - and ask them for advice.

He can self-refer for talking therapies by googling IAPT and his area - they do a sort of 'phone triage thingie, and will recommend what is the best approach for him, and then add him to the relevant waiting list. If he's struggling with intrusive thoughts of any kind though, CBT can be really helpful.

THANKYOU! I will pass on and write more over the weekend, but thanks so much for your help

I have passed this on hefzl and hope that he calls BUPA today. I guess the problem is the more help you need the less likely you are to feel able to ask for it.

If he got the CBT through BUPA what would be the difference to what he would get through NHS? Probably no waiting time? Even getting an appointment to see our GP is a pretty big hurdle to get over.