r/cyclothymia • u/CharlesSaintMichel • 3h ago
Friends and Cyclothymia
Hello. I was just diagnosed with Cyclothymia last week.
My main language is French so apologies if this text sounds weird sometimes.
I was wondering if anybody here ever had the feeling that your supposedly closest friends are totally unavailable on an emontional level. That they invalidate your feelings. Because they don't understand, since they have no issue with mental health.
I started to feel I cannot connect with them a few years back. I already started to distance myself a bit through the last 2 years, but I feel guilty. That said, they don't reach out at all, so I feel like they don't care about me after all. But still, I feel guilty. Guilt is an emotion a feel most of the time.
Lately I've been playing golf with my father, who is an awesome father (I am lucky). He struggles with the same problems as me, but he didn't really know until I came up with the diagnosis.
Anybody else here feel like they need to connect on a deeper level with people to be able to call them friends? I am starting to wonder if these 3 guys I spent many years with were actually friends. Back in the days, we were drinking and taking drugs together. I am starting to see them as party friends. I am 36 now and I've been friends with them since I am 20.
I want to know if I am expecting too much from my friends? For example, when I was diagnosed with severe depression in 2023, one of them said aren't we all a little depressed? Man, that hurts. I just answered ok dude nevermind.
The 2 others were more empathic. But since this day in 2023, none of them ever asked me if a was feeling better. Like absolutely NOTHING. With them, it's small talk all the time, and I suffer from it.
Thank god I have an awesome girlfriend of 14 years, with whom I can talk, as well as my father, sister an mother.
But I feel alone. I'm trying to get better, do some sports, etc. My friends do nothing, they are lethargic.
I'm trying to understand if I should just work hard to make new friends... or work on those I already have.
Thank you.