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.

PepsiColaP

I think that a lot of people confuse being introspective with actually being active about the issues you are aware of. This can falsely lead you to believe that there is nothing further to be done since the issue continues to exist despite you being aware of it. That is when a professional will actively work with you to help you built better systems to deal with those issues through actions , which is something that I think most non-qualified people cannot really support you with. Also I note you said that you know what actions need to be taken to help you, but if those issues persist ,then a professional would be able to revaluate those actions with you and design a better plan that works long term