Mental Health professionals of Reddit, what is something that you wish more people understood about your field?

TL;DR friend refuses treatment and I don't but she makes me feel shitty. I feel like the "weak" one. But cutting her out of my life might cause her to be more suicidal.

You didn't even need to hear all this sorry for venting to you.


I have a friend who has bad mental illness (ADHD definitely but she also claims OCD, and GAD) She likes to throw it around and complain constantly. Yet, she refuses treatment. She skips every therapist appointment and only goes to psychiatrist for meds, she doesn't want to tell him anything she just wants her Ritalin (sp?) she uses no coping mechanisms except lying in bed (I know all this because she's told me and our tiny group of friends all this). She goes to class but doesn't participate and does her work last minute and only ever with the help of our genius friend.

I have bad mental illness, I work with my professors so I don't go to class when I'm at my worst. She mocks me for getting help and using my coping mechanisms and says I use my mental illness as an excuse. She got pissed at me for getting better grades than her because she goes to almost every class (but doesn't participate) and I don't. We had a class together and I missed a little less then half the class days, but when I was there I was one of the 4 most active speakers , in every discussion, in every debate while she sat there silently. I got my work in well before due dates and she waited the hour before it was due. I ended up with an A and she ended up with a B (our school is A B C only) she chewed me out relentlessly about not going to class and how it wasn't fair that I got an A.

She mocked my GFs use of "fiddlers" that helps my gf cope with anxiety, she mocked my use of feelers and of my head cover. She even mocked my GF going to the school therapist/counseling center because my gf "wasn't that bad". We both have other coping mechanisms that we don't feel like telling her so we just kick her (and sadly our other friend) out of our apartment (its on campus so she only has to walk to her res hall) when it gets bad. I'm even nervous to use a valuable temporary coping mechanism (niqab) because of her judgment.

I feel like the weak one for getting treatment and using coping mechanisms. Yet at the same time I'm pissed she thinks shes better than me.

After this and an instance of her lying, me and my SO are thinking of just cutting her out of our lives. But we are afraid that it will make her already bad depression and suicidal thoughts worse and push her over the edge.

/r/AskReddit Thread Parent