Professional help isn't everything.
Professional help is a great first step and can work for a lot of people. But I think it's equally important that we as people learn to help those around us. Learning about depression, anxiety, personality and mood disorders is important. People need to know how to assist those in a mental health crisis as much as they need to know CPR or basic first aid.
It's worth the effort for all of us to learn how to be better listeners and supporters. To be present for people. To show up for people. Beyond the cliche words of encouragement, beyond motivational quotes, beyond the repeated methods of self-care, beyond pointing them towards the professionals.
There is more to treating a mental illness than understanding how the mental illness works. You have to invest in the individual. Learn to love someone who lives in an entirely different reality. Even when they're unreachable. Learn to love someone just for the sake of loving them.
Healthy boundaries are always needed but we need to stop writing ourselves off so quickly. We are so much more capable of helping than we think.