17 Dec Ways to Help a Friend Who is Struggling With Mental Health
Seeing a close friend or family member struggle with their mental health can be difficult. Mental health issues are incredibly personal and can have a wide-reaching effect on all aspects of a person’s life. For this reason, you might be currently looking for the best ways in which to support a friend who is struggling with their mental health.
It is crucial to remember that there is only so much that you can do when it comes to supporting a friend with their mental health struggles. The reality of things is that they might not yet be ready to accept the help that they need to get better and cope with their mental health condition.
Regardless of this, though, you can still acquire as much information about the subject as possible so that you can be ready to support them as and when they are ready to accept the help.
Here are some of the best ways in which you can help support a friend who is struggling with their mental health.
Explore Available Resources
The first thing that you need to do when you learn that your friend is struggling with their mental health is help them to figure out what resources are available to them. Mental health is a complex and nuanced topic and one that should be handled by a trained and qualified healthcare professional.
Depending on what sort of mental health condition your friend is struggling with, you might need to encourage them to start by speaking to their primary care provider. Those who are battling some sort of addiction can speak with experts at an addiction treatment center to get started.
Ultimately, the type of professional support and expert care that your friend will need in order to overcome and learn to cope with their mental health condition will depend on the particular type of issues they are dealing with. Obtaining an official diagnosis is the first step on that journey.
Be Patient
When a person is dealing with a mental health condition, accepting that fact alone can be a challenge. It can be disheartening to face the fact that you have such a condition, and many people are reluctant to seek help on that basis alone.
Because of this, you will need to exercise a great deal of patience in order to truly support your friend who is struggling with their mental health. Don’t try to force them to seek help when they aren’t ready to do so as this will only have an adverse effect.
The best thing you can do is make it known that you are there for them as and when they are ready to talk, and prepare yourself with information that can help them when they are finally able to bring themselves to seek the help they need. This is the best form of support that you can offer your friend who is struggling with their mental health.
NOTE: This story explores mental health issues and suicide, including. If you or a someone you know is at risk, please stop here and contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for support. 800-273-8255
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Last Updated on December 26, 2021 by Marie Benz