Wasn’t really sure which section to post this in.
I’ve been friends with “Emma” (not her real name)
since the end of high school, around 20 years ago.
Over the years, Emma has suffered mental health difficulties – especially depression. Meaning that she has been known to simply disappear and drop off the social radar for several months or a couple of years as a time.
Emma has consistently refused all suggestions from friends/family that she seeks medical help for her depression. Nor will she agree to anything like counselling or talking therapies.
She stays at home in her room, just reading online about all different mental health conditions and self-diagnosing.
She has missed so much happening in the lives of her friends in recent years, weddings, milestone birthdays and so on. She has stopped sending birthday cards.
In better times, we all used to meet up with her before Christmas but non of us have heard from her at all this year.
I saw her mum a couple of times in town and asked after Emma. She said Emma was just being Emma, cooped up in her bedroom all the time.
For Christmas this year I’ve just posted a card and said please just let us know if you fancy meeting up at some point.
Have I done the right thing?