how do I help a friend from self destruction?
492483
yeh you should praise your friend and try to point out the things that are good about him/her
835483
It is tough to admit to being abused.  Your friend needs encouragment and support.  He needs to remove himself from the situation, seek counseling, and file a report.  It is very tough to get away from that environment.  But for his own survival he needs to do so or something very bad will happen.
505135
Kudos to you for caring enough about her to want to help her.  Take her out to breakfast/lunch and sit down and have a long heart to heart with her.  Let her know all the good things that you see in her and how valuable of a person you think she is, then let her know how some positive things about her have influenced your life.  Tell her you are starting to see some things changing, and you love her and don't want to see the old her consumed by a new person that you aren't familiar with.  Remind her of the dangers/consequences of the lifestyle she is choosing, and let her know that you want better for her.  Finally, let her know that you feel this way because you see her as someone deserving all the best that life has to offer, and that u care too much to just sit by and watch her destroy her life and reputation.  Encourage her to seek counseling for low self esteem issues, and support her in any way that you can while she is going through these adjustments in her life....Don't give up on her...sometimes all people need is just 1 person to believe in them, until they can believe in themselves again!!!!....
995791
Make sure your friend knows you care about her, and your response was out of fear for her.  Talk to her, and be there for her.  Encourage her to talk to a counselor, to get some help.  Cutting is usually a sign of some deeper issue.
1094510
I'm afraid the only way you are going to stop this is to just be brutally blunt with her. It sounds cruel, but people like her usually don't the get the message if you beat around the bush.  She obviously wants ALL your attention. She throws a tantrum when you say something to her to put a guilt trip on you. She obviously lost a lot of friends because she acts this way. She is suffocating and I give you credit for dealing with it, but I see you are at a breaking point and before this goes further, put a complete stop to it. \n\nI would air out all of your feelings to her emphasizing that you can no longer tolerate her behavior. Tell her unless she backs off and gives you some space you want nothing to do with her at all. She will be upset of course, throw her tantrum, but eventually she will get over it. It might prompt her to take a look at herself, the way  she acts and why she can't make friends and she might even thank you one day.\n\nI do emphasize be brutally blunt, if you aren't this problem will persist.
232134
Get him a psychiatric evaluation as he may be a danger to himself your doctor can help with this.\n\nCounselling where he can talk thru his problems\n\nBe understanding and let him know how wonderful you think he is & how much you admire him, not just by telling him but by your actions to him.\n\nTry to build up his self esteem, he may have a low opinion of himself.\n\nIs he blaming himself for something like a divorce or a death? \n\nIs he being bullied physically or mentally\n\nCould he be taking drugs? - Some drugs can cause suicidal feelings\n\nHe needs help, your first step should be to talk to his doctor, before he does kill or seriously hurt himself or others\n\n~Good Luck
138819
Well from personal experience, be a good listener for them.  Encourage them to talk to you or anyone that they can trust about what is bothering them.  Above all don't let them fall through the cracks.  Encourage them to keep doing the things that they need to like go to work if they have a job or go to class if they are in school.  If they stop doing these things, matters will only get worse.  For example, if they get fired because they haven't been going to work that will add to their depression because then they feel like they are worthless, so to speak.
181068
Having a schizoprenic friend can be very hard. You can't help him all alone, he needs a lot of persons around him. In other words, you can't take it all on your shoulders. The problem with people with this mental illness usually tend to isolate themselves.\n\nAs you said, you can not totally cure a schizophrenic. But you can help him a lot. Psychiatrists can give him the medication he needs, but that's about the only thing they'll do. \n\nYou say he has hallucinations, well in this case tell him he is wrong, that you can't hear(or see) all the things he hears. Maybe this will make him angry, but you have to confront him no matter what. This can be hard, but agreeing with him will only make things worst.\n\nFinaly, even if he is paranoid, don't be too scared of him because of this. These persons hurt other persons in very isolated cases. Most of the time, they mutilate themselves, not the persons aroud them. \n\nI hope i helped you and good luck to both of you!
99040
you may want to seek out an anger management group and pass along the info to your friend. your friend may also benefit from talking to a therapist - clinical social worker, clinical psychologist, etc.
61993
Suggest to her that she speak to a counselor or other professional that can provide more guidance than can be offered by a message board.  \n\nThe following link contains a link to a page with a national confidential rape survivors help line and a form to find out the number to a local center.  \n\nI wish your friend the best of luck and I hope you can help guide her to a place where she can help herself.
178799
The best thing you can do is to support your friend that way they can help support their friend in this time of need. If you are decent at cooking wait for a week then take over a couple of easy to reheat but nutritious food dishes. It is usually for the first week that people help out then they stop. Also if there are any young children involved then getting them a small durable toy will also help since it will help them be distracted and be something for them to remember later in life.
498438
Let her know that you are there to listen if she needs it.  Don't pressure her to talk or she may pull away more.  Just be there for her and when she is comfortable, she'll open up.  Maybe if you start talking about your problems or problems of a "friend" she'll feel a little more at ease about discussing her own.
33480
You need to tell her family.. Your friend needs mental help before she does something too extreme, and dies. Tell,...because you care, you know you do or you wouldn't be posting this question if you didn't. But tell someone that can HELP. Good Luck.
996850
People with BP disorder and with depression have higher than normal rates of suicide. Some people are better able to cope with their disorder, such as when they are down, but a stressful event like a breakup can trigger feelings of despair and helplessness, even suicide.\n\nYou should definitely be there for your friend and try to help them out by telling them that things will get better. But you have to keep in mind that with a disorder like BP, your friend should take their medication, and the medication may be the only effective way to get them back on track. Try to talk to them and help them understand why it is important to take the meds, but don't say "Take the meds so you don't go suicidal." Just offer reassuring words and help them understand why the meds are important.  People with BP aren't "psycho" so you don't have to pretend with them. Just be honest but reassuring.
1121974
I am a recovering cutter myself so I can tell you that you cant do anything to make her stop. You can, however, help her by letting her know that you truly care and want to understand. Make sure she knows that whenever she needs to talk you are always ALWAYS available to listen to her. You might try asking her to call you whenever she fights with her mom or whenever her mom hurts her instead of cutting herself.\n\nPeople who cut themselves do sometimes have suicidal thoughts, but the act of cutting is not a suicide attempt in itself. Self-mutilation is a coping mechanism that people use to try to comfort themselves because "normal" coping mechanisms like running, writing, "take a deep breath", etc doesnt work for them. Because of this make sure you never refer to her cutting as wrong or bad or abnormal because its her last resort to deal with her pain.\n\nAs far as telling someone, I would advise you dont tell anyone just yet. Before you tell someone you need to talk to her about it and suggest that you can be with her when she tells someone. If she refuses to tell someone no matter how hard you try you need to tell her that if she doesnt tell someone then you will. Like someone else said, cutting is often a sign of some sort of mental health disorder and can be treated with medication and/or therapy. \n\nGood luck and if you have any more questions or your friend needs someone to talk to who's been through all this PLEASE dont hesitate to IM me on AIM at HeresToGoodnight. Or you can email me at my yahoo email adress and I will be more than happy to help you guys out. Good luck!
1117156
I would tell him that when he needed us we were right there for him, just the same as if he needed us now. It shouldn't be any different when the tables turn. Friends help friends out especially in their time of need, and if he feels that way after you talked to him just tell him that he burned his bridges and if he needs you again you will ignore his call for help. Because that's not fair to you guys.
937929
He needs to go to a therapist. please have him go for help, and stop torturing himself! First of all he has to face his issues, then he needs to learn to forgive him self!