This is why I can't form friendships with the mentally ill.
It's not that I don't feel any compassion or have any understanding. What I don't have is the objectivity to let things like this roll off my back.
And, no, I didn't express any disapproval. She told me she was suicidal, so I felt I should talk about possible support resources, but not being a professional, I ran out of ideas. The rest you know.
This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »
Usually when one says they're in pain they just want someone to listen to them, and can get aggressive when you are offering advice. But I understand your side. I'm tired of mental illness too, in others or in myself!
@elafina That's true. Even [i]I[/i] don't like condescending, uninformed lectures. But the suggestions I was making just seemed like the obvious next steps. Maybe I didn't strike the right balance.
@elafina I am in the boat of, I want someone to listen, but I don't get aggressive when given advice. It's more like, I know there is advice out there that can help, so when someone says something that doesn't make sense to me, like I wouldn't think the advice given would be given normally, then I start getting upset because I'm looking for something that will help me in that specific moment.
As an example, I'm on SW and I say, hey everyone, not feeling great, am depressed, sad, lonely, etc. and someone doesn't give advice for how I am feeling at that specific moment, that's when I get frustrated because I know there's more to it than what that person just said. They gave advice they thought would be helpful, but not advice that really could be helpful right then and there.
