do you think people with mental illness always need therapy/someone licensed to talk to?

even if they have a support system and friends to talk to openly about their mental well-being?

i’ve always prided myself on being self aware of the struggles i face, and throughout periods of my life i’ve had a good support system to lean on about these things. but is it really ethical or sustainable to only talk to friends about your mental health?
i’m not sure how these discussions came across to friends in the past since i have memory issues, but i think that within recent times i haven’t trauma dumped onto others; the discussions were all willingly had. but i’m unsure if having that support system makes it right to avoid talking to a professional about my issues. i can be very stubborn when it comes to my mental health, and i’ve held the belief in the past that personally there’s nothing good that can come out of therapy. i know what is wrong with me, i’ve learned methods to help me, and i have people i trust to talk to. i don’t know if this is me being self aware or if my avoidance is rooted in wanting to enable my own mental suffering further.

BlueVeins · 26-30

Eh, not everyone but your illness seems pretty severe and it seems copingly arrogant to imagine that a subject matter expert can't tell you something you don't already know. There's nothing immoral about not going to therapy, in itself, but you might be holding yourself back.

I've come to believe that frequent venting is a maladaptive coping mechanism, in addition to the toll it can take on other people if you're not careful. Not to say that's what you do but it could be useful to introspect on whether or not that's what you do and whether it's actually helping.