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Mental health

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Advice needed on helping a friend

2 replies

strawberrymelons · 14/06/2020 19:14

This is regarding a friend who has a history of mental health issues. She was sectioned 3 years ago due to what appeared as a psychotic episode, which we (me and other friends) kind of watched escalate in slow motion and didn't know what to do. Then she got pregnant and had a little boy- and suffered sever PND straight after birth- her mental health team wanted her to go to a mother and baby unit but she refused. Eventually a different med started to work but I don't feel she's ever been her 'normal' self since.
Her little boy is now 18 months old. And over the past 6/8 weeks we have noticed a change in her behaviour similar to the first time she was sectioned.
We have a WhatsApp group with a group of 7 girls- we've all been friends since school and are pretty close. And it's on these messages and social media that it's become apparent that things aren't ok.
I asked her a few weeks ok how she was and just mentioned I was a little concerned due to some abnormal behaviour but she said she was fine.
It's escalated since then to constant messaging all day every day and getting upset/paranoid if not everyone replies or it's not straight away.
I think most of us have - after weeks of this- stopped picking up our phones as much as it's exhausting. And it feels like everyone is treading on eggshells as to not upset her, however some of things she has done/ said have upset other people but she's not really bothered about that

So my question is - what are we supposed to do? Keep replying to the same things over and over and pretend everything is ok? Or what?

I'm probably more resilient that some of the other girls but even my own mental health is suffering with the sheer pressure or answering her and no upsetting her.

OP posts:
BB081 · 14/06/2020 20:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

strawberrymelons · 15/06/2020 00:07

Thank you for your reply. I've reached out to a family member but she got annoyed when I said people have stopped responding as much. Said we aren't being supportive. I tried to explain that we all have our own stuff going on and it's exhausting to have to reply the same thing over and over and she expects it straight away too.
She was recently discharged she said (my friend) and mentioned reducing meds a few weeks ago and now obviously this has happened.
I know bi polar was mentioned after the psychotic episode but she's never given a full diagnosis.
I just feel so helpless in all of it and I don't know whether we're making it better or worse by answering or ignoring etc.

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