| Compassionate emotions | “Yes, they were sad for me, for… everyone who was affected by this news. So… I think it was sadness; that was the feeling that stood out the most, both for me and because of what had happened.” (Male, with a history of depression, middle socioeconomic status).“Concern because you know that when someone has depression, it’s like being in a hole, and to get out of there, you can’t do it alone—(and…) I mean, you have to do things for yourself, but others also have to help you get out of that hole. It’s not easy.” (Woman, with a history of depression, lower-middle socioeconomic status).“Honestly, what happens to me—speaking in general terms—is that I see a person and, well, I don’t know, I can tell they have depression. What that makes me feel… I think it’s a feeling of compassion, I’d say, because I understand that it’s a complex thing to live with, isn’t it?” (Man, no history of depression, lower-middle socioeconomic status).“I think that when people know you have it, they treat you well—not like you’re weird, but more like… a little pitiful.” (Man, no history of depression, middle socioeconomic status).“Yes, I also felt something like compassion, but a somewhat uncomfortable kind of compassion… like pity, maybe. Those people made me feel like they pitied me.” (Male, with a history of depression, low socioeconomic status). |
| Defensive emotions and discomfort | “Mainly, I think one thing is the fear that the person won’t recover and that, as a result, they’ll either live their whole life in depression or commit suicide. That’s the greatest fear, I think.” (Woman, no history of depression, lower-middle socioeconomic status).“They were very careful about the words they used and the topics of conversation. It was mostly that—they were very cautious with me. It’s like I felt a little—how can I put it?—excluded. Maybe it’s because sometimes I didn’t… I didn’t feel included because of that very situation—because they were so cautious, and sometimes they just didn’t want to, or couldn’t, be 100% open with me.” (Man, with a history of depression, low socioeconomic status).“The first thing I feel, I think, is a sense of helplessness. Because it’s like, ‘I want to help you,’ but I… I don’t know how to do it right, because I’m not always going to know what your situation is, and I’m not going to have all the tools to do it either. I mean, I don’t have all the tools to help you psychologically. And no, I don’t have all the tools to help you in your particular situation.” (Man, no history of depression, medium-high socioeconomic status).“Oh, I’ve seen it all. Even anger… I don’t know… How can you be depressed? You’re young, you’re… I don’t know, pretty, you’re so… so much, and I must have fallen into that trap myself at some point.” (Woman, no history of depression, medium socioeconomic status). |
| Emotional detachment | “I think most people don’t care. I mean, I think most people either don’t ask themselves that question, or they don’t care, or they’re living in their own world—because people are so selfish.” (Woman, no history of depression, lower-middle socioeconomic status).“It’s just that they don’t take it seriously. Like, there are people who actually think that depression is, more than anything else, a game. (...) So they don’t take it seriously and try to make you feel bad with certain comments or things like that.” (Woman, no history of depression, middle socioeconomic status).“I feel like (...) they don’t take them seriously. It’s like they say, ‘She has depression,’ ‘She’s sad,’ ‘She’s been crying.’ I’ve also heard a lot of comments like, ‘She’s cutting herself to get attention’ or ‘She wants to kill herself just because this or that happened to her.’ So those comments really do affect you.” (Woman, with a history of depression, middle socioeconomic status).“I think coworkers literally don’t care, unless they’re a good friend of yours. I don’t know, but I think coworkers, classmates, and… no. They live their normal lives and worry about their own problems.” (Woman, no history of depression, lower-middle socioeconomic status). |
