BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

Q:

I have always gone to my friends whenever I need someone to talk to about my depression and anxiety. Recently, I’ve noticed that it is not making me feel any better. Even worse, I am noticing some of my friends beginning to pull away from me and I think it’s because I am always asking them for advice about my struggles. What can I do differently, I don’t want to lose all my friends.

A:It is very common to reach out to the people closest to you when going through a hard time. We tend to forget that although we trust and value our friends’ opinions-they may not have the answers when it comes to managing depression and anxiety, or any other problems you are experiencing. They also can be biased-meaning that they care for you and have their own emotional attachments/ opinions in regards to you and potentially any situations you are going through. You mentioned this is beginning to negatively impact your relationships. Your friends may feel uncomfortable knowing that you want advice from them and feel pressure to be able to help you through your struggles. You may be feeling resentment that you friend is unable to help you. This is not the best circumstances to be in with a friend if you want the relationship to be maintained and enhanced. My recommendation for you is to seek out professional help to process through your struggles with depression and anxiety. A professional counselor can help you in an unbiased way and provide suggestions based on evidence based research. Also, seeing a professional has the added bonus that the personal things you share will remain confidential. At Premier Behavioral Health Services we provide individual counseling services, medication management services and group counseling services (Intensive Outpatient Program). The first step is contacting us to schedule an initial assessment, from there we will work together to develop a treatment plan that fits your needs. Here at PBHS, we utilize Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), which is an evidence-based treatment method. Setting up counseling services will allow you to learn healthy ways to manage your depression and anxiety, along with allowing you to continue to work toward maintain healthy relationships with your friends.