Consulting with a psychiatrist can be helpful in deciding if medication is an option that you should consider. The most important thing to remember if you helping someone with depression is to remain supportive. It is important to first let the person know that you are concerned about her or him, want to help and are willing to be a resource. The way that you help may range from just listening to recommending that the person contact a mental health care provider for assistance. Remember that in most cases, feeling depressed is common for all of us.
Many people experience an alleviation of their depressive symptoms in a reasonable amount of time.
If, for whatever reason, it feels like this is not occurring, there are other resources and options available.