Hi I am older now and have done about 20 years of mental health long term care since 14. Lived with family a lot in the free times. I had problems with self harm and family... Well. Free now struggling a bit. Just trying to find support. Have abandoned the idea of clinical care. And so I'm trying to find other opportunities. Am good now. Just easier with other people and all.

Behavioral: antisocial behavior, compulsive behavior, hostility, impulsivity, irritability, risk taking behaviors, self-destructive behavior, self-harm, social isolation, or lack of restraint Mood: anger, anxiety, general discontent, guilt, loneliness, mood swings, or sadness Psychological: depression, distorted self-image, grandiosity, or narcissism Also common: thoughts of suicide

i’ll try to make this quick, but basically i’m (19f) and my brother is 17. he very obviously has autism and has presented as so throughout all his life. he struggles with socializing and daily tasks. my dad refuses to admit he is autistic, and our mother died in 2016. lately my brother has been struggling very badly mentally, and my brother obviously needs help. (with his depression and autism)i try to help or support him but he just gets more angry and frustrated with me,which ik is just due to his autism, but it’s extremely triggering for me when he’s having meltdowns screaming at me, and i have no power to get him professional help. my dad turns a blind eye to all of it. whenever i tell him he needs help it just turns into a fight. my aunt is a psychologist with a PHD, who often works with autistic kids, and would know how to help my brother. i often tell my brother to reach out to her but he doesn’t think she’ll help at all. im so sad that my brother is struggling, angry that he won’t accept help, and then realize that he won’t accept the help because he’s so scared of change due to his autism, and im stuck. i dont know what to do. im scared that my brother won’t make it out of this. i have accepted that i cannot help my brother. and please don’t tell me to keep pushing it on my dad, that’s an uphill battle i’ve been fighting since i was 10.

I tried so many times to fix my life but I always fall back to my old habits and life. I am losing hope....I just can't do this anymore. I just am tired. I am losing hope. I don't want to give up I don't want to die inside but I feel so helpless and powerless. I feel alone

For context I’m 21 and she’s 12, recently I discovered that she has feelings of depression and thinks suicidal thoughts. She didn’t tell me this, I had to ask her.

Lyear she joined high school for the first time and she got her very first phone, because she also goes to and from school by herself sometimes. I found out by seeing a notification on her phone that she was being bullied, sometime around the middle of last year. These girls were from her primary school and they would fat shame her and they would pull her dress up and steal money from her and her friends. We spoke with the school about it and she stopped being friends with them and found new friends, so we thought that was that dealt with. Now her new friend, let’s call her A, A joined the school halfway through the year from a different school. My sister and A became good friends and still are. I don’t ever want to judge anyone but as a 12 year old when she first visited our house, she was wearing very revealing clothing, and on her instagram it’s always pictures showing off her body or revealing clothes. It’s not my place to judge on what another girl wears, however I do want to look out for my little sister.

Recently, she’s stopped eating as much as she used to, so I asked if she was okay and she told me that she has an eating disorder and she’s been throwing up her food. I don’t want to invalidate her feelings or what she’s telling me, but this all happened in one day basically, she was eating fine the day before and now she’s barely eating 2 meals a day, and not even full meals. She’s not skinny, but she’s not obese either. I told her if she wants to be healthier I can show her how to do it healthily, through exercise and eating healthy. I told her how throwing up often is bad for your insides and bad for your teeth. She said she doesn’t want to do it the healthy way. She also told me she hurts herself to avoid thinking about suicide, when I saw the cuts they were all quite superficial, not deep at all.

Now let me talk about A. A has a lot of issues and I sincerely hope she gets better, however it is not another 12 year olds responsibility to take care of her. According to my sister, A has been admitted to a psych hospital in the past, she cuts herself, she’s attempted suicide and overdosing too. While my family was on holidays a few weeks ago, A messages my sister saying that she took too much paracetamol and overdosed.

I know my sister well. I know that she didn’t even know what overdosing was until she met A. I am not invalidating her feelings, I was depressed once too, but I know her and all of this has been influenced by someone else.

Onto present day, I’ve convinced my parents to change her school so that she can have a better environment. My sister keeps saying she doesn’t want to and that she wants to keep her current friends. I told her even if she wants to keep her friends, staying in the same school as bullies is not healthy. So we’ve done a few enrolment interviews, and I asked her if today she would wear her school dress normally so she can look presentable for the interview, normally she wears full sleeves and leggings under her dress even though it’s 30 degrees celsius. When she got out of the shower I saw that she had new cuts, on the day she was supposed to wear her dress without full sleeves underneath. I asked her why and she said I don’t know. I told her honestly that It’s not healthy for you to try to get better and keep listening to someone else’s suicidal thoughts. She told me that A is a good friend and that because she’s going to school without full sleeves, A is too to show solidarity. Mind you, my sister has no noticeable scars until she cut herself again yesterday. I asked if A had scars and she said A has a lot. So basically A is doing this in “solidarity” of my sister. I have a feeling my sister cut herself because she wanted to have scars as well, so that A wasn’t doing it for no reason.

This is where I don’t know what to do. Should we keep trying to change her school? Or should we let her stay? I’m also trying to get her in to see a therapist, however it’s a couple months wait. The new school we want to move her too also has much better facilities and opportunities than her current school. I know this is long but I don’t know how else to word it.

Hello! I myself have issues but thankfully I’ve gotten to a place where I am doing really really well.

I’m asking more in place of my boyfriend, who refuses to go to a doctor or therapist.

He essentially have been in a deep depression a little since before I met him. I didn’t realize it at first, but it’s quite severe. He only eats around 500 calories a day and even admits that he doesn’t have any motivation to reconnect with his past passions and interests, let alone eat on a regular schedule.

I’ve been begging him to get help, asking them if he really was so finished with life why is he still with me? To which he would say “I guess I still feel something sometimes” … I told him he could feel that way ALL the time if he started taking steps to wellness.

There’s only so much I can do and I have to protect myself so I really am limiting myself in terms of how much I am capable of doing to provide support.

Please, if anyone knows anything I could do to help him I’d be ecstatic for constructive suggestions. He has siblings, friends, and a partner (me) who I know really cares deeply for him.

i’ll try to make this quick, but basically i’m 19f and my brother is 17. he’s very obviously has autism, and has presented so all throughout his life. my dad refuses to admit he is autistic and our mom died in 2016. my brother knows he is autistic and my dad will not get him diagnosed. he’s been struggling mentally lately, and obviously needs help. i try to help or support him but he just gets angry and overwhelmed, which i know is due to his autism but the screaming and yelling is super triggering for me and i shutdown and can’t help him properly. i feel so horrible.

my dad turns a blind eye to this. he allows my brother to attend therapy (my brother won’t go) but i don’t think he’s getting the right therapy. he needs someone who specializes in autism. i’ve told my dad this a million times since i was 10, alongside many family members. he ignores it. a part of me is angry that my brother won’t attend the therapy, because i know change can be hard for people with autism. but i don’t know how to support him in getting help if he won’t help himself. then i feel bad, because my brother doesn’t understand how therapy will help himself emotionally because he’s autistic. it’s a never ending loop.

i often recommend my brother to reach out to our aunt. she’s a PHD psychologist who works with kids who are autistic. she has tried to help my brother but at the end of the day she is not his guardian. my brother will not reach out to her because he thinks she won’t help.

i’m sad that i cannot support my brother but i don’t know what to do. i’ve accepted that it’s very unlikely anything in this situation changes, but accepting that breaks my heart. and im terrified my brother doesn’t make it out of this. i hate seeing him struggle

i’ve always struggled with suicidal thoughts and depression, and always tried to go through with my suicidal tendencies. but it’s getting bad like really bad and i need help. i want to talk to my mom about it just because im about to turn 18 and i have idea on killing myself that i know i wont stop, but how and when is the best way on telling her? i feel bad telling her. just the idea of her kids wants to kill herself is sad. and the really only reason why i wanted to kill myself is because of bullying, that’s usually why people do it, but it’s hard when it’s your own siblings. i want to go back to a therapist because i genuinely need help. just how do i tell this to someone? especially you’re own mom.

I have to speak for long periods of time at work. Like hour & a half sessions with clients where I take them on tours. And there’s times where my ears start to pop & then it’s like my hearing goes in & out & it sounds like I’m talking underwater in my head. And then it gets difficult to breathe & I feel like my voice starts to sound weird to the other person. I have pretty bad anxiety but this never happened to me the 100s of times I’ve given people at work tours before. It starts to freak me out so then I start to panic & then I have to go calm down & take deep breaths & it takes me a while to regulate. But it started a couple months ago & it’s hit or miss that it will happen. But it’s occurring pretty often. Now I’m starting to develop this fear of it & it’s hindering my work where I dread having to do a tour. I am at a loss for what’s happening to me, I feel crazy. Any advice? Do you think it’s just my anxiety? Or that something could be medically wrong?

I can’t go physically anywhere to get myself checked , is it possible to find someone here that I can simply even just do one call with or put me in touch with a professional who can , I’m willing to pay as well

To sum it up what I’ve experienced in the past and now all seem to line up exactly to bipolar 2 , I’ve been in a mental struggle for years and I’m at a tipping point again , I want to know what wrong with me mentally and what I can do to help it but I want to be sure of it and not just assume I have bipolar 2

Hey, I’ve been struggling with my mental health lately and am looking for help… I’ve been having issues lately, I feel like I’ve not been doing enough for myself and my mother 49yo F is a great woman, but I want to speak with her about her bringing guys here. If anyone can help I’d appreciate it

I’m not sure how much more I can take of this life. For a few months now my mental health has been in a decline.

I’ve suffered with chronic illness and pain for years so that has always taken its toll. It got so much worse in October of last year, my husband lost his job and we’ve fallen behind on everything. He did finally go back to work but as most know once you fall behind it is almost impossible to get caught up. I was supposed to have 2,500 by tomorrow or else to get caught up on our mortgage and I haven’t got it. I’ve sold everything I could, cut everything I could. Nothing is helping.

My husband is upset with me, my depression is out of control, that when I try and sleep at night all I can think of is self harm to escape.

My pain levels are out of control. I know a lot of people have been in similar situations, how did you make it thru? I honestly is not sure how much more I can take.

Why am I so bitter? I think of myself as logical and I guess a realist but never mean or spiteful, but lately I often find myself very bitter with no good reason. I catch myself thinking negatively towards people with no cause or who have done me no wrong. When people in my surroundings succeed or are doing good in their life or situation I for some reason think about their negative aspects like "oh but they have these issues/problems" or "I would have done this or that differently and better" stuff like that.

I should be happy and glad that the people I know around me are doing great or succeeding but I catch myself being so awful and negative internally. I almost never speak these thoughts or express them externally nor do I treat the people involved with any negativity. I always try to by nice and considerate, most people see me as quiet/reserved but nice.

This has been really bothering me recently as I would catch myself being this way and hate it. Am I being jealous/envious? am I just not a happy person internally? I feel like I am Happy, I feel like I am fortunate to have the life I live, I have a wonderful wife with a house and pets that we adore. I have been asking myself why and I just don't really know.

I’ve been feeling like I’ve been in a constant state of survival mode for as long as I can remember. It’s like my brain is always on alert, trying to manage everything around me, but I don’t have the space to truly process or remember anything that doesn’t seem “important” for just getting through the day. This has led to a lot of forgetfulness, things as simple as spelling words I know, or remembering tasks I know I need to do. It’s exhausting.

What makes it worse is how tired I feel all the time. Even when I’m drowsy, I get this pre-agitated feeling that makes it hard for me to focus or stay engaged with anything. It’s like I just go through the motions, but I stop trying, because my energy is drained from always being in survival mode.

I know I’m self-aware, and that’s part of what’s been making everything harder. I can see the struggles others go through, and sometimes I feel like I’m more aware of my situation than they are of theirs. It’s hard to talk about, because I feel like if people understood just how deeply I’m struggling, they might see me differently or think I’m “too much.” It almost makes me feel guilty, knowing that others might be going through worse but not feeling as deeply about it.

One thing that has been particularly weighing on me is my relationship with my mother. I’ve tried to express how much I’ve struggled with our relationship and how deeply hurt I feel, but it seems like she doesn’t understand. She once messaged me, crying, saying, "I didn’t know your resentment towards us was that deep. I think it was my fault because we spent more time together when you were younger. I’m sorry, you weren’t handled well. I hope you’re not going to be like this forever because it’s not easy." It was heartbreaking to hear, but I felt like she was still missing the point. I’ve tried to talk about how I feel, but it’s like nothing really changes. I don’t know how to fix it, and it feels like I’m just stuck in this place where my feelings aren’t fully acknowledged.

Lately, I’ve been struggling with wanting to just disconnect, but I also have this fear of being abandoned or being left with no support if I do. The worst part is that I know no one would truly understand the depth of what I’m going through unless I tell them, but I’ve tried before, and it’s like no one really gets it. I feel like I’m carrying all of this by myself, even though I know I’m not alone in this.

I don’t know if I’ll ever heal from this feeling. It’s like my mind is constantly running on empty, and I don’t know how to stop or even slow down.

Has anyone else felt like this? Like they’re stuck in survival mode and can’t break out of it? How do you manage the constant pressure and the feelings of being overwhelmed? I’m just really tired of carrying this, and I could use any advice or insight. I mean is this even normal?

I Recently turned 19 and I’m on a gap year before I go to university. I work 10 hour night shifts in a warehouse and my days mostly consist of wake up work sleep. I only see my friends once every few months when they are back from their universities. My dating life is non existent and I’m currently in the thick of nicotine withdrawal.

It just feels like I had everything worked out and suddenly I’ve been thrown back into the tunnel unable to see any light. I have never felt more alone than I have in this moment and it’s breaking me from the inside.

The only light I have is some solo travelling to Japan at the end of February where I’m hoping I can find some answers to the countless questions going through my mind.

Hello! My girlfriend recently opened up about her mental health struggles to me, and I want to be there to support her. To put it shortly, the issue I want to help with the most is her eating disorder. Are there any ways to make sure she's practicing healthy eating habits without accidentally triggering her? I used to ask her questions like "have you eaten today?" and "what all have you had to eat?" but after her opening up to me I feel like maybe I was making it worse.

I want to be there for her, but I don't want to accidentally make things any worse for her. Can anyone give me advice on how to support and help her? I already know the stereotypical "be there for her" stuff, but I want to do more. I'd really appreciate any help!

I'm a 22F, I lost my father when I was doing my 2nd of UG. I was 19 years old. I'm the elder daughter and I have a sister, she was 17 when we lost our father. My mother's a patient she was not working at that time. But after our father's loss, she started working but we can barely manage with the salary. It was Covid time, I had to pay my college fees and my sister just completed her school and was waiting to join College. My mom somehow managed to pay my college fees and put my sister in a good college with the help of relatives. Ngl, she struggled, I couldn't help much. I was away from Home for college like 9 hours travel and so is my sister but only 2 hours travel from home. I got placed in a good it company while I was in the final yr. Joined the company before completing my degree. Started taking care of my family which includes my grandparents also. We had bunch of loans to pay, my sister's clg fee, no proper place to stay. My mom Started share her problems with me and I'll listen to her. But it felt like she's venting all her problems with me and my emotional bucket was already full. I struggled in my clg days, attended many interviews only to fail in the final round. I had this pressure to take care of my family, I didn't know what to do. After getting the job, I relaxed a bit. But not entirely free from the pressure. My best friend of 17 yrs didn't wanted to be friends with me anymore. It happened in 2022 and I still can't get over it. I took a home loan, successfully able to built a home for us. But it will take 20 yrs for me to fully complete the due. My sister is doing her mba rn. I'm paying for it. My grandparents medical bill, my mom medical bill, sister's fee, emis etc. I'm taking care of all these things but the salary is not enough. I don't even like the job. I'm just doing it for the money. I couldn't explain how I'm feeling rn. I'm emotionally drained. I want someone to talk. Ik something is not right emotionally with me. I'm this happy, cheerful person in everyones life. My friends never seen me angry. My parents never seen me getting emotional. If my mom sees me cry, she'll start overthinking about me. I don't want to make her sad. But I'm struggling. I don't have anyone to talk. I never had a bf. No one liked me romantically. Ik my friends and family loves me unconditionally. But it not enough for me. I'm taking care of everyone and no one's there for me. Idk what to do.

I am 18F, the second daughter to my parents that nobody ever wanted. I have an older sister and a younger brother (who my parents actually wanted). I used to be very good in academics all my childhood. Ever since I was a kid, I remember my mom telling me that everyone tells her that i may be the second daughter, but i am a 'God's gift'. My parents love me a lot. But i think it only is because I am good at studying. I sometimes wonder what hell of a life I would be living if I wasn't good enough for them. All the attention was given to my siblings for as long as I can remember, until something my sister did. She really made my parents upset when I was in fifth grade, which made my dad not talk to her for 2 years straight. So all the attention she received was now diverted towards me and I felt good(I know it's f*cked up but that is how deprived I was).

I remember telling my mom that I wish I had two older brothers. And she was like "Well if I had two sons already, I wouldn't have you." It just stuck with me ever since.

I have had suicidal thoughts as early as (I think) when I was 7-8 years old. Whenever I used to get in a fight with my siblings (which used to happen very often), I would just start hitting my head against the wall hoping to just crush it and kill myself. I remember a time when I was in fifth grade, a teacher punished me in class and when I got home, I sat crying on the couch with a knife to my wrist( I didn't cut myself tho). I get suicidal thoughts very regularly even though I am completely against suicide(I know it isn't an option). But sometimes I just wish I die in an accident on my way to school or I wish to jump in front of a truck or a train.

Last year was very rough for me. I didn't attend school for many days. I lacked the energy to do anything. And my body hurt a lot. I used to have extreme headaches,joint pain and stomach aches and what not.My entire body used to hurt all the time. I saw many doctors,had tests done,but all of them said my physical health was fine. The guilt of missing my classes made me even sadder and my grades have gotten very low. I have sudden outburts of happiness and then I roll downhill very fast and the next thing I know is I'm just crying hard, so hard that I forget to breathe. I hate myself because now I have f*cked up my studies and my parents will be hurt and disapponited.

Now I don't have the energy to study anymore so I am addicted to my phone and binge watch on Netflix everyday while my parents are at work and they think I am studying. Now I think I would be better off dead. I am cutting off everyone from my school out of my life. I ignore their texts and calls. Tbh, I don't have the energy to even answer their calls. I am good for nothing.

I'm sorry for such a long post but i have no one else to talk to. Please help me.

I am 19M, before covid I was happy and content person but in lockdown with my family, it ruined me mentally and emotionally. I am scared that I will become like those arseholes and that’s why I don’t let anyone near me anymore. I have no friends, I am too socially awkward to be near my relatives. I can’t be myself in my own house. I started overeating, binge watching everything and anything as it offered a window out of my life and due to that it took a hard toll on my studies. I was a bright student but now I am just tired. I study engineering but sometimes I just dont feel that I am cut out for this field or if my ambitions are only something I made up to give me a sliver of hope and admirations in my parents eyes. It’s eating me alive, I can’t express anything. I can’t eat out in public because I am afraid how people will judge me, I dont even eat with my parents because of that, I eat alone, sleep alone and exist alone. I find alone comforting, it’s the only time I can feel and hear myself without being judged, criticized and constantly nagged. I was a normal kid with lots of friends and good at sport and studies, I am nothing now.

I have found this sub bc I was looking for a supportive online community and reaching out to those with lived experiences of mental health really help me so here goes. I am struggling very badly right now with some personal issues and I believe the worst fears will become true and my anxiety is to the point where I absolutely believe they will happen and they probably will… I have generalised anxiety disorder and I am transitioning from taking Lexapro to Prozac and I am on day 10. Due to the first few weeks of taking the Prozac and also my personal challenges, I have been been dealing with the worst anxiety of my life to the point where I don’t think I can cope with anything anymore. My doctor mentioned that it may be tough for the first few weeks as your body adjusts and to give it time but I honestly want things to be better right now bc I am losing hope that things will get any better. I have also just started seeing a psychologist though it is very early days and they are just getting to know me and my story. I am sorry if I sound so negative and maybe I am not myself as I go through this. I am hoping to hear some words of encouragement and hope because I cant seem to find any. I’m also wondering, if anyone has gone through anything similar and how they have managed to cope? Thank you

Recently, someone shared their experience of being in a relationship with a narcissistic partner. At first, they didn’t even realize what was happening..something that’s so common and yet so easy to overlook when you’re in the middle of it. It really stuck with me because I’ve seen this dynamic so many times: the red flags can be nearly invisible until it’s too late.

The challenge is that narcissistic partners can be incredibly difficult to spot early on. At the beginning, they’re often extremely charming, confident, and exciting. They make you feel seen and special in a way that’s almost magnetic. But over time, things start to shift—charm morphs into manipulation, confidence turns into entitlement, and the relationship becomes emotionally exhausting.

One framework I find especially helpful in understanding these dynamics is the Big Five personality model, which sheds light on the patterns behind narcissistic behaviors:

. Low agreeableness: They lack empathy, resist cooperation, and prioritize their needs above anyone else’s.

. High extraversion: Their charisma and outgoing nature make them captivating at first, but their constant need for attention and validation becomes draining.

. High neuroticism: Beneath the surface confidence lies insecurity. They often lash out or get defensive when criticized, making honest conversations feel impossible.

What makes this even trickier is that these traits, in moderation, aren’t inherently negative. Confidence can be attractive, and being outgoing can be a great quality. But when paired with low empathy or a need for control, these traits turn destructive. That’s when the self-doubt begins to creep in—“Am I overreacting?” or “Why do I feel so drained all the time?”

The hardest part is how they make you feel like everything is your fault. Instead of recognizing their patterns, you start questioning yourself, which is why these relationships are so difficult to navigate.

This conversation reminded me how essential it is to understand personality traits and how they influence relationships.

For those of you who’ve been in a relationship like this, when did you start to notice the signs?

So to give context to my question, I’ve been seeing posts alongs of the line saying i paid for a fucking therapist and all they do is parrot back to me what I’ve been saying.

What do you expect from your therapist, and what does a successful therapy relationship look like to you?

Hey. I’m 32M. I’ve been living with my grandma since I was a little kid. My mom was living in different countries throughout my whole life. My grandma is 82 years old and I moved out a year ago with my fiancé because of some mental stuff she was going through such as accusing my fiancé of stealing etc etc (typical dementia stuff). She is much better now because she’s taking pills. I’ve been visiting her every day since I moved out. Sometimes twice a day.

Now about my mom. I visited her couple times in different countries but it was always so stressful. She has problems with depression, anxiety, stress and alcohol. Plus she has 2 daughters (my half sisters) that also give her hell. There was always some problems in her life that I didn’t wanna be apart of, but sometimes was forced to. She recently decided to come back here because after all these years in different country he says she has nothing, has some debts and needs a new start. I’m okay with that as she said she will help with taking care of grandma. She’s been like 3 weeks here and was already wasted twice. Once to a point I had to stay all night at the house because I felt like I had to protect my grandma. When my mom doesn’t drink she does A LOT around the house. Really, she cleans, cooks, goes shopping etc.

Here’s the thing. I once managed to win over the anxiety once she was abroad but now she came back and my anxiety is through the roof. I keep thinking something’s wrong or she’ll get drunk. I keep feeling like I have to raise her and my grandma, I project what kind of feelings they might have, put them on myself and just feel so overwhelmed. It’s like I’m living their life instead of my own. I keep waiting for a phone call that something’s wrong. My heart is about to blow out of my chest ever day very evening. I was at the house there today and I felt like the vibe was tough. Turns out my mom and her mom (my grandma) got into a little fight and I’m scared it’s gonna turn into my mom getting drunk and yelling and screaming. I keep imagining those scenarios. In all this mess, I think I’m too attached to my grandma. I keep imagining herself vaulnerable, sad and regretful etc. I keep seeing it in my head even tho both of them say I shouldn’t be nervous and not to think about it and don’t worry because it’s gonna be good. But it’s just talking. I’m so done. I am so… so tired. Mentally and physically. It’s like having kids and being on alert 24/7 putting myself in a hero position where I have to work everything out for them. My grandma has 2 more kids, my aunt and my uncle and I don’t understand how they are just not as involved in all this. It’s like they can’t feel what they feel or something.

I don’t think I can go any longer without some pills. I just don’t know how to stop living their life and trying to fix their problems themselves. How to stop trying to control the situation all the time and having my happiness being depended on their happiness. Please help.

Hi I’m 20 F, in school going into healthcare. I have noticeable SH scars up my arms from when i was a teenager. None of them are fresh, but I was wondering, is it unprofessional to wear short sleeves for me in healthcare? The problem is I sweat and get really hot easily but am worried about being unprofessional in that environment.

Hi,

My husband struggles with low confidence. He hates himself and cannot see what an amazing, kind and genuine person he is. He often refuses any sort of therapy or counseling.

I want to help boost his self esteem and confidence. I do not know where to begin. I want to see him thrive. I want him to believe in himself, think highly of himself.

What can I do at home to encourage positive thinking without treating him like a child. Please be respectful in your responses.

Thank you

22M uni student Hello everyone, so I'm currently in a good enough spot mentally, totally functioning and good emotionally, but last year was quite bad, I fucked up college -wise(barely went to classes), generally locked myself in my room mostly, and had some serious self esteem issues and depressive moods about all that(suicidal thoughts,but no real action potential in that regard, so at least i wasn't in acute danger).

I went home for Christmas and felt much better there, was also able to lock in a bit in terms of studying and salvaged most of the courses i took(exams are in coming weeks, but I'm prepared.) I even had the free time left over to enjoy myself - ate some good food, swam+played basketball, spent time with family and played some DnD with friends(very fun)

Now I'm going back to Uni though, and even after thinking a bit about how to make this semester better, I'm still really nervous about the possibility of dropping back into such a bad mental state; I need to be more prepared, but don't even know 100% why things were so bad. I definitely could use a therapist for that, but those are hard to get here especially if you don't have an actual condition going on right now.

So I could use some advice from people who've similarly managed to avoid being depressed after having experience with it!

There's also the fact that beyond getting back into an ok functioning state, there's a lot of more ambitious things I've sortbof fallen behind on; right now I'm successfully taking things one-at-a-time, but in the near future I'll have to tackle things like what to do after uni, rebuilding a social circle(i have only a small set if friends back home, which is already much more than nothing, but i need some better connections at Uni, too.)

It's hard to think about all that when I barely feel ready to do all the basics; small steps I guess.

Well I thought I would give this vent thing a shot, even if nobody responds I figure it might help me feel better. Ill try and keep it short. I am 20 years old and after finishing my first year of college, last May, I decided I wasn't going back. College wasn't the issue, in fact, it offered most of the things I value; Community, Learning, Curiosity, Progressivism, Passion and so on. Right around the end of the first semester my mental health started to get bad again (I had spent the past spring/summer of my senior year in high school attending a partial hospitalization). Long story short, things got worse and worse, I put myself in bad situations, started smoking weed at least once daily, and hurt some of the people I loved most. I was not okay. After 4 years of serious mental illness struggles, that was the lowest I have ever been. I barely finished the year, academically I still managed to get a 3.1 gpa or something but mentally I thought I wasn't gonna make it.

Anywho, now for the focus of this vent. Watching my friendships from college dissipate while I exist in a limbo state of meaninglessness and the most emotional pain I have ever felt in my life, sucks. I am a super connection oriented person. I have so much love for the people I knew in college, the connections I made there are beyond words in expression of value. Some friendships I lost before I even left college, others dissipated over the summer. Some had harsh breaks, others ghosted. Many of the people who were at the center of my external world no longer respond to my messages. Its a weird thing, feeling like life has moved on without you. Like everything I have known and held onto has left and I am scrambling to find my way again. And I get it, I am not going back to that college, I probably wont see them ever again and they have their own lives, but damn does it hurt. Sometimes I wish they would at least acknowledge me, or acknowledge the friendship dissipating but most of them just stopped responding one day. I can't blame them, I fucked up a lot in college. I just want to feel community again, to feel understood, loved, and valued. I know I will make it out of this, I have a job lined up in May, and I know I will meet new people eventually. Regardless this sucks and I am exhausted and lonely.

Hi everyone, I’ve been feeling depressed and unmotivated for over a year now. I lost my job and, honestly, I feel like a failure. I hate myself so much for being useless, and every day those thoughts eat away at me. I’ve been suffering like this for over a year now, and it’s a never-ending cycle.

Not long after I lost my job, my left ear started to ache. The pain doesn’t last long—just a few minutes—and then it’s gone. I’ve been to different doctors, but they can’t find anything wrong. No physical wounds inside or outside the ear. But even after a year, the pain hasn’t gone away.

What I’ve noticed is that it only hurts on days when I feel super disappointed, angry, or frustrated with myself. On the days I feel okay, my ear doesn’t hurt at all. I’m starting to wonder if it’s something to do with my brain or stress.

I’m just so angry and frustrated that I have to deal with this pain on top of everything else I’m feeling. It feels like I’m stuck in this cycle and I don’t know how to get out of it.

I’m sorry if my English isn’t perfect—it’s not my first language—but I’d really appreciate any advice or insights. Has anyone experienced something like this?

A few years ago I was sarcastically rejected by a boy at university. As a child people always compared me to my sisters who were beautiful and criticized me. before I got over that I experienced this incident at university. I spend my days looking at the girls that boy liked. I feel very sad because I am not beautiful. I did Erasmus last year and got a little distracted. Now I'm working on my master's degree but no matter what I do, I can never be self-confident. My family bullies me for not getting married. They laugh when I tell them I'm ugly. I don't wear any make-up, I even stopped skin care. The last time I bought a t-shirt was 2 years ago. It's like life is over for me. No matter what I do, I'm an ugly woman and an academic career won't change that. I feel like I live empty in the world.

Hi I am 21 years old, i am severely depressed i need help i am addicted to pornography badly and im depressed because i lost my job too. The worst part is i cant sleep anymore because of spiders, i live in canada and i cant sleep anymore with the lights off I am too scared to sleep i need advice. The only good thing in my life rn is gym. Its rlly embarrassing i am 21 years old and im scared of spiders idk why.