How do you tell somebody they need help?

[sirus_virus]

---

Members don't see this ad.

My friend seems to have some major mental issues, and I honestly believe she needs medical attention. I just can’t find the right way to convey it to her. She is entering her M2 year, and the past year has been a freak show of sorts, ranging from not taking care of herself physically, to just acting weird and distant when she is around people. When I first noticed this problem, I tried to suggest seeing a doctor, but she came completely undone and insulted the crap out of me. So I ignored her and went about my own business. Now I hear people talking about her, and I feel like I might have sold out by abandoning her. She is doing pretty well in school right now, but I am concerned this might affect her during her clinical years.

We hung out this summer, and she seemed pretty cool, but the freak show seems to be warming up again as the school year approaches. So how exactly can I help this type of person?

 

[owlet]

It's great that you want to help your friend, but there may be very little that you can do. If she doesn't recognize that she has a problem and want to do something about it it's very unlikely that you could convince her to seek help. You can try letting her know that you're concerned about her and her future in a very nonconfrontational way and then give her the space to ask you or someone else for help finding her way to treatment. I think this is a long shot, but it may plant a seed that will sprout when something happens to force her to re-examine her life and behavior. If you really care about this person, try to remain her friend if you can do it without being drawn into the craziness.

Good luck. It's hard to be around someone who needs help and doesn't realize it.

 

[thesauce]

My friend seems to have some major mental issues, and I honestly believe she needs medical attention. I just can’t find the right way to convey it to her. She is entering her M2 year, and the past year has been a freak show of sorts, ranging from not taking care of herself physically, to just acting weird and distant when she is around people. When I first noticed this problem, I tried to suggest seeing a doctor, but she came completely undone and insulted the crap out of me. So I ignored her and went about my own business. Now I hear people talking about her, and I feel like I might have sold out by abandoning her. She is doing pretty well in school right now, but I am concerned this might affect her during her clinical years.

We hung out this summer, and she seemed pretty cool, but the freak show seems to be warming up again as the school year approaches. So how exactly can I help this type of person?

This doesn't sound like an acute issue. I don't think that this will affect her in clinical years because she will be given feedback by attendings and residents on every rotation, so she'll be forced to deal with it then if it's still an issue at that point. I would worry more about the people that are talking behind her back. These people are generally the ones that have trouble in clinical years.