Friend with depression (treated with meds), seems to have plateaued with any progress and still occasionally thinks of suicide. I am there for him as much as possible but it kills me to see him like this. Is there anything I should know, or that I could do or say at the right time to help him move forward? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 12, 2009 - 13 answers

What happened to my ability to trust in and connect with people? How do I regain it? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 30, 2009 - 9 answers

What to get for a depressed friend? One of my friends has had a very bad week. She found out she needs surgery and lost a ton of work because her flash drive was stolen. I want to get her a gift to show her everything will be alright and I am here for her. Some info, she is college age and very smart. She has a boyfriend though so nothing too romantic. Prefer something available locally due to time constraints, but I'm not against shopping online.
posted by DJWeezy on Mar 6, 2009 - 19 answers

Could/Should I contact my friend's therapist to deter my friend from making bad decisions? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 10, 2009 - 34 answers

I'm off work the next four days over the New Year's holiday & weekend. I am usually a very social person, but I live alone and I don't have much of anything planned this weekend. And I'm worried about spending the whole weekend alone, because I think I will get really lonely and unhappy. How can I enjoy myself? [more inside]
posted by inatizzy on Dec 31, 2008 - 20 answers

I had a shitty birthday today that seemed to confirm all my suspicions about my friendships, and my life in general, and now I'm not sure how to rebound. [more inside]
posted by Ash3000 on Aug 10, 2008 - 68 answers

I’m worried about an old friend of mine who lives far away and has been going through some tough times. I want to be a good friend to her, but I fear that she might rely a little too much on my long-distance friendship. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 14, 2008 - 7 answers

Therapy or bootstraps? I have no friends beyond immediate family and online acquaintances. I can't clean house or do my home-based job because I get distracted -- by surfing the Net, even though it gets boring and I get less and less pleasure from it, by eating, by walking around the house, or by doing anything but the productive work I know I need to do to be happy. I have a very difficult time even reading a complete book, and I have always been an avid reader. And I have almost completely starved the creative part of myself. I have almost nothing to show for my life over the past twenty years. [more inside]
posted by rosemere on Apr 2, 2007 - 19 answers

Cheer-up-a-friend-fliter: My friend was just let go from her job because hiring someone new would be cheaper on her employer's budget. [more inside]
posted by echolex on Dec 19, 2005 - 16 answers

A very good, close friend of mine for at least 16 years, recently revealed something to me . . . [more inside]
posted by yesster on Jul 30, 2004 - 32 answers