[Sparky @sparky]

I’m losing all my friends due to depression it’s getting worse and worse and I literally don’t have an outlet I can’t talk to anyone about it without them getting defensive or uncomfortable it’s feeling like I don’t have any intimate relationships anymore I’m literally starting to lose my mind and I can’t even talk about it without being judged by people and it’s just bubbling and bubbling

[Jassen @jassen]

It’s hard to maintain friendships when you’re dealing with serious depression and constantly relying on your friends for support.

Most people just aren’t equipped to handle that kind of situation, friendships are a give and take. If all you’re doing is venting to them without offering anything in return, eventually, they’ll drift away—and you’d likely do the same if the roles were reversed.

I learned this the hard way. Looking back, I wish I hadn’t burdened my friends with my problems so much. I’d have tried harder to maintain those relationships and only turned to them for help when absolutely necessary.

• This reply was modified 6 months, 4 weeks ago by Jassen.

[Anna @anna]

Welcome to the forum. I am so sorry to hear this. I get allot of support on this forum and I too have lost many friends due to depression. It’s not your fault. They don’t understand. Hopefully the forum will help you feel less isolated.

[Alexg @alexg]

I struggled with depression through elementary and middle school, less so in high school but it was definitely still a struggle. The isolation I was feeling because of the depression was compounded by the fact that I was loosing friends for various reasons, and definitely wasn’t helped by COVID lockdown. I think that lockdown affected a lot of people, especially young people very deeply, and that many of us are still feeling the effects. My best advice would be to seek therapy if you can. I realize that it is often very expensive and a lot of people are unable to afford it financially, and if that is the case, please take the following with a grain of salt. If you would like to get a private therapist, I would suggest looking on Psychology Today’s find a therapist page. You are able to filter the results by location, method, gender, and (importantly), what insurances they take. The second place you could look is school. Depending on what school you attend, you may be able to access therapy or mental health counseling for free or at a discounted rate through the school. The reason I suggest seeking out a therapist if you can is because friends, although they want to help, are often unequipped to provide the help we need and when we talk to them about oftentimes very serious issues we’re having, it can be incredibly overwhelming for them because they don’t know how to respond. My policy for discussing things like depression, trauma, and other mental health topics with friends is to ask if they are ok with my talking with them about it first so that they are not put in a situation they are unprepared to deal with. Hope this helps.

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