The Original Article is a long read and I just culled this short part from the concluding paragraphs. Read below:

The best ways you can put depression to check if you are not around a familiar place or faces (also applicable if you are around family and friends) are:
1). Avoid lonely places.
2). Join a responsible club or association, religious gathering or vocational School.
3). Volunteer for causes, N.G.O's, charity organizations etc.
4). Visit an orphanage to spend time with the children - trust me, they reassure hope. If possible, make it a routine. You must not break a bank to visit an orphanage, anything your heart can afford, take it there and they will appreciate the love.
5). Visit people in prisons. You can go with a church or N.G.O if you do not have the wherewithal to go on your own.
6). Visit open parks and gardens often where you are sure to see people around.
7). Learn new things; acquire new skills.
. Reconnect with an old friend. Hang out with friends or family.
9). More importantly, seek counsel from a professional.

No matter what, don't let your thoughts control you when you are alone because it may be too late to realize that suicide is not the solution.

Society's role is to be less judgemental and more encouraging. You and I make up the society. It is not until someone commits suicide that you should start organizing conferences and seminars on Depression as we saw in the subsequent weeks that followed the death of Dr Orji Allwell who committed suicide by jumping off the third mainland bridge in Lagos.
Family and friends should always come through for their loved ones who are going through tough times because whether you like it or not, when someone commits suicide, he frees him/herself. S/he doesnt feel the pain, it is the living loved ones left behind that bear the whole pain and struggles to come to terms with the loss of their loved ones. So you see why it is very important for you to help (emotionally or financially) that friend or family member who is going through a tough phase.

No one just wakes up one day and decides to commit suicide, the person would have gone through different phases before arriving at such a decision. You may be helping someone overcome a phase by just saying, Hi, how are you?

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