Mum on class WhatsApp group going on about her MH all the time!

[Jillcc1]

This really.
My DC is in Year 5 and most of the parents are in class WhatsApp group. We chat about school stuff but also parties, Halloween events that sort of thing. No one really writes about their personal lives, health, work etc because it's not appropriate in the class chat. It should be about the kids and school, right?
There's 1 mum who goes on and onnnnnnn about her mental health and neuro diversity struggles at every single opportunity.. Even when someone might have posted a quick question about homework or school lunches etc.
She always steers the chat towards her own issues.
I get that she might be struggling, but I'd this any reason to drag other parents down and depress them? Especially when we're all busy with our own lives.

Come on op, are you serious? Would someone not say to her can you talk to some friends or family? She’s obviously in a bad place but she’s dragging you down? The WhatsApp isn’t the place for it and she needs to be told that (not on WhatsApp!) but it would be good if someone reached out to her and told her to get help

There’s not much you can do about it so I’d just stop thinking about it. Skip her posts. I wouldn’t want to be on a WhatsApp group but I can see they are necessary.

I can understand why you just need to dip in and out and need/want it for information but she’s decided that she needs/wants it for a different reason so I think you just have to accept that.

Have any of ye reached out to her to see if she's ok? Are her dc ok? Dragging you down and depressing you? Wow. I hope anyone reading this thread who is finding things tough with their mh doesn't get discouraged.

You can't really dictate how other people use Whatsapp groups. Ignore it if it bothers you that much, she's clearly struggling and may not have anyone else to talk to.

i would mute the group
contact her off the group if you dare

She’s probably lonely, struggling and just needs a little bit of kindness every now and again.

Agree, judging on one or two of the posters here. They could do with a crash course in kindness too.

I’d probably leave the group and find another way to get the information. No I don’t think it’s appropriate and we’ve all got stuff we’re dealing with. I wouldn’t post a MH update on my local street notice board either.

She's struggling and maybe doesn't get that the group isn't for that, you don't have to take it all on board though. You do your thing and she does hers.

Someone saying this on a Whatsapp needs support. She needs support and kindness.

Tell me you don't understand neurodiversity without telling me you don't understand neurodiversity.

I know what Op means. Someone who hyjacks a well intentioned group chat to use as an avenue get things off their chest. The end result is usually other people stop using/leave the group chat. The woman is obviously crying out for help and I would perhaps be tempted to pm her to take her line of conversation off group. Depends how well I know her.

Get someone to pin a post to the top of the group saying that it’s for school and child related posts only and off topic posts may be deleted. We had to do that for our local dog walking group when a few people decided to use it for heated political debates whilst the rest of us just wanted to know if there are cows in the meadow or glass on the footpath.

🙄🙄🙄

Just a thought but it might be if she's ND that's why she hasn't quite twigged that it's not an appropriate topic for the school WhatsApp and/or how else to ask for support.

Does anyone acknowledge it by replying?

Lots of people make neurodiversity and/or mental health their entire personality, for some baffling reason.

Is it really that hard to just ignore it? She shouldn’t be doing that on the group, but she’s clearly struggling. I don’t think there’s any need to say anything to her about it, and you could end up causing harm. If you’re in a position to be supportive then reach out to her privately. If you’re not, just ignore it.

I would hate this too. I'm really fatigued from hearing about everyone's mental health and neurodiversity all the time tbh. I don't have the headspace for it at all.

We live in such a hypocritical society. The media is constantly and rightly adverstising "just talk, reach out" to people in need of help. People run marathons and walk distances, fundraise for mh. People see a tragedy and post support messages on their SM but when it becomes too real or "annoying" all of a sudden that person is "attention seeking" or dragging the mood down.

Look maybe the mother is not really struggling but what if she is. The whole concept that the mh and suicide organisations are trying to get across is, we can never be sure. I'd rather be right than get it wrong.

Op, with no disrespect, you probably arent the right person to engage with her but post like this that use language like "dragging and depressing " will resonate with genuine people who need to reach out and need to be reached out to. It's very sad really. Regardless of anything I hope that mother is ok

And some people make being scathing their whole personality.
OP just ignore unless you want to reach out. Its not appropriate for her to be posting but that probably ties in with her neurodiversity and not understanding "the rules" right.

She might be struggling and have nowhere else to talk about it.

Or she might be doing it for attention.

Either way it's not the place, and someone should (gently) tell her that outside of the group.

Do others in the group share your opinion OP?

She may be really struggling and being able to post about it is helping her?
Class WhatsApp group are pretty pointless - just leave the group.

Maybe but the class WhatsApp group isn't the place to look for it.

Reaching out for support isn't the same as a scattergun approach to anyone whose number is in your phone or the parents of the children in your child's class.

Personally, I'd be very wary of offering support to someone who did this because very poor boundaries tend to not be situation specific.