[grahamburger]

> "Why try anything? Nothing works."

That seems like a better outcome all around than not knowing what to try. At least you know you have some options. For some people, it might help - at least enough to get them to the next step.

[0xcde4c3db]

What I'm saying is that when you convince a depressed person to spend their scarce reserves of effort on useless measures, you risk diminishing their ability to convince themselves that the "next step" is worth taking.

[grahamburger]

Right. If you know the person well, you can probably make a reasonably good decision if it will help or hurt. But on a random internet message board, we don't. Undoubtably there are some people listening who would react as you've described, and some who might actually find a benefit from getting outside. So, if you're listening and suffering, go see a professional. Just keep in mind that if that seems impossible, start by getting yourself out the front door.