I found out from a friend today that a mutual friend of ours (Friend A) was sectioned at the weekend and is now in a secure mental health unit 'for her own safety'.
We do not know the full details, but apparently she went missing for 3 days and was found wandering along the hard shoulder near Heathrow and told police she was late for her plane (had no tickets booked; hadn't been back to the flat she shares with a friend or been to work in 3 days; nobody knew where she was.....
The friend that told me said that another friend had confided to her that Friend A had a kind of nervous breakdown last year and had been hospitalised for several weeks.
I am devastated that
a) I had no idea about the situation last year. I had no idea she had any mental health problems at all . We don't see a huge amount of each other - I am at home with 2 kids, she is single and leads a (seemingly) very glamourous, sociable life. Even so, I regard her as a close friend and I am upset that I had no inkling about any of this - that she didn't confide me and/or I didn't guess.
b) I lost my phone a fortnight ago. I have no idea if she tried to contact me during that time. I feel an awful guilty feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I imagine her possibly being in need and calling me - and getting my answering machine
Also, now that I do know, what do I do? Apparently her parents and siblings are 'rallying round'. I don't know them at all, really, and don't know if it would appropriate to contact them/her?
Any advice on how I can best help my friend now and/or in the future would be great.
Thanks.