To wonder about mental health inpatients being friends

[Beatinghearts]

I haven’t been an inpatient but suffer with mental health and have friends who also do. Some of them have friends who they have been inpatient with. I’m just wondering are these friendships healthy ever?

That's an oddly judgemental thing to say

Should young widows groups not be a thing or cancer support groups?

Why shouldn't people who have shared a traumatic life experience sometimes turn out to be friends?

I know a couple of older ladies who met on an MH ward about 10 years ago whilst being treated for depression who meet up regularly to this day. One of them was sadly later diagnosed with dementia and her friend continued to visit her even when she went into a care home (until lockdown)
I thought that was beautiful and not in any way weird.

Maybe I phrased it wrong sorry. It would just worry me people meeting in that sort of envelope as friends have told me in the past that other patients can be quite triggering

I think it can be unhelpful, yes, but other times as helpful as any other friendship would be. You can make friends anywhere. There are many, many different possibilities of friendship between the people. They are just people, at the end of the day.

I have a friend who I met when inpatient years ago. Had a coffee with her earlier this week. We have also done group therapy together. Whether a friendship that develops in hospital is healthy or not depends on so many factors... it is simply untrue to say that all friendships started in that environment are unhealthy.

I’d say it would be helpful as support and understanding is a wonderful thing to have from someone who actually does understand where you are coming from.

It is possible to develop either a healthy or unhealthy relationship under those circumstances.

I once attended an outpatient group for eating disorders and a couple of the patients developed friendships. There was multiple dramas, partly because these people were in a very bad place, the worst drama was when one person had sent a text to another saying they were going to jump off a bridge.

I have had some very healthy and strong friendships with people with mental health issues.

I do think you need to be cautious and able to maintain good boundaries if your friend upsets you in any way.