Cats are fuzzy and trustworthy - always a good pick :)

Oh this is a Good one. Have I lost friends because of my depression. Let me put it this way, when I finally admitted to myself that I was an alcoholic escaping my pain with booze and got clean, got diagnosed and no longer was the "partier" or the friend "who paid for everything" accruing thousands in debt...yes, I lost my "friends." You learn who your friends are when things get tough. I had so many friends in college, guess how many friends I still have from college: 2. My best guy friend in the world Elie who has been like a brother to me and has supported me from my mom's death, through sobriety, through my depression, and as my life continues to change. My other friend is the same way.

People only are "friends" when it is convenient for them. As soon as you start getting help or you start getting to a better place, they turn their backs on you because you are no longer the "screw up" in the group. In other circumstances, I cut people out of my life because they encouraged me to do things I did not want to do...drink, smoke, etc. However, at some point in my life those people came into my life for a reason or to teach me something.

Of all the "friends" I have lost, I have learned one thing: to be more selective and surround myself with positive people who are compassionate and understanding. It used to bother me in the beginning, but now, I have come to terms that if I can be happy and supportive to those around me, it is not fair for me not to expect the same respect from those I surround myself with.

I realized how little "friends" I had when it came time to chose my bridal party: ALL of my party was comprised of FAMILY. Ultimately family is more to me than anything. The only reason why my two friends could not be in my party is because I got married overseas, and they were honest and told me, they couldn't afford to take the time off from work (one is a teacher and one is a manager). I understood. However, all the fears and when I needed someone to vent to about my stresses and planning, they stuck by my side. If there is one thing I Have learned my friend, it is not the quantity of friends, it is the QUALITY of those friends.

Let no one make you feel like less than, ultimately, it is their loss- not yours.

I know how much it hurts when your 'friends' stop bothering with you.
When I was working and useful to people I was always off out of being asked round for coffee etc. I had worked with the same people every day for 9+ years yet when I went sick I never got so much as a phone call or a Get well card!
I used to cry 😢 all day and night until I ran out of tears. I felt so lonely and used. These people didn't even know how much I was having to go through. I'd nearly lost my life through Encephalitis and they wouldn't have known had I died.
That's when the worst depression took hold.
Since then I've accepted that I can't have my old life back and to be honest, I'm not sure I would want it!
It's difficult but forge a new life for yourself. Make friends with people who accept you for who you are, not what you can do for them. I joined a local community group for people with mental and physical health issues. Many of the activity support staff have been through the same process I'm going through, in the same groups.
I hope you can find a similar group near you and remember us here on MDT.
Kitty 🐱 kisses and cuddles x 😻💞🐾💞😸

My ‘friends’ only accept me because of my fiancé. My fiancé and I have had the same friends for years since we went to college together, but because of depression, I only get invited to things now as an accessory to him. That hurts, but I’ve come to accept it as part of life.

Remember that you’re a great person and you are not your illness. Your true friends will be with you at your worst moments.

Yes, pretty much all of them. If you’re not chipper and happy all the time they say you are annoying. Friends are there for the good days. They run as soon as you’re not fun anymore. “Friends always forget those whom fortune forsakes.” Then comes indifference, and they discard you like an old piece of bread. That’s just the way it is. Folks, if someone sticks around, cherrish that person. They are one in a million.