[searchableguy]

People should avoid giving advice to others suffering from mental health issues. It's reasonable to point that out and refer to a professional. That said,

Be more than words. If I am telling someone to seek professional advice, I would help them with the task in a meaningful way such as contributing financially, finding information for them, being their speaker or support for coming out to others. Ask them what they would need help with instead of guessing or provide options when they can't come up with something.

If you are close or live nearby, you can help with chores and food. Good food helps and it's easy to end up eating garbage when you are down.

[Rilfeu]

This is exactly what I do, now that I've climbed out of the hole, I extend my hand to help others come out.

I'm very open about things that I went through, and it validates people's feelings, and hopefully gives them some optimism when they see it's possible to overcome this.

I've got a few of my friends to actually seek professional help (and it helped all of them, at least a bit). And the way I go about this is first telling of the issues I had, and then saying that every single person (even the most normal person) would have a lot to benefit from occasionally going to a therapist. I also compliment my friends when I notice change in their behaviour.

I'd love to be able to help them financially as well, but as a student that is not an option.