What can a ship's management proactively do to reduce the chances of crew reaching this level of distress in the first place?

A. Maintain genuine communication access to family (internet/phone where practical), encourage a crew culture where checking in on each other is normal rather than awkward, ensure welfare resources and helpline information are clearly displayed and known, and have officers model approachability rather than pure authority distance

B. The only effective prevention is to avoid recruiting crew who might be prone to homesickness

C. Isolation and homesickness are simply an unavoidable part of the job that cannot realistically be reduced

D. Welfare resource information should be kept low-profile to avoid drawing attention to the topic

A. Tell them directly that they need to "snap out of it" and get on with their job

B. Assume it is none of your business since you have no mental health training

C. Avoid the person, assuming they want to be left alone since they are withdrawing

D. You do not need to diagnose anything — simply noticing the change and checking in with a genuine, low-pressure conversation ("you seem quieter lately, how are you doing?") is a valuable and appropriate first step that anyone can take, regardless of rank or training

A. Tell them firmly that homesickness is not a real problem and they should simply focus on work

B. Promise to keep the conversation completely secret from everyone, including any officer, no matter what they tell you

C. Immediately tell the whole crew so everyone can keep an eye on them

D. Listen without judgement, acknowledge that this is a genuinely hard and common part of seafaring life, avoid minimising it ("everyone feels like that sometimes") or trying to fix it yourself, and gently suggest or help them access whatever support is available onboard (welfare officer, master, confidential helplines such as those run by seafarer welfare charities)