He was an intellectual (and actually a very smart person).
He came to me for help because he knew that I had gone through a period of blinding depression and made it out the other side.
I told him that the real Jesus was nothing like his public image. I told him to ask him (Jesus) to talk to him. Call it prayer or just call it talking to him. But ask Jesus to come to you if he is real.
I explained that his depression was certainly biochemical but it was also a function of a hopeless outlook and there is no way to determine causality re: biochemical "disturbance" and outlook (i.e., which causes which).
I told him that ultimately if he couldn't understand enough about existence to find meaning in it and thereby develop a positive outlook, any solution to depression would merely be a bandaid.
He agreed with everything I said...but he refused to call on Jesus.
Eventually, he ate a bullet.
Sadly, I think this person is trying to kill herself, but very slowly. She just doesn’t care about living, and I can’t change that. She is very stubborn about Jesus.