No Friends

[Ihope]

It is a heart breaking. my son (17 years old ) has no friends. he suffers anxiety and depression because of that and those disorders disable him from making any friends. he tried o make friends and each time it ends up with more pain and more loneliness. He is in much pain . I do not know what to do ?

[Taylor-RO]

Hello @Ihope, that must be a really difficult and devastating thing to go through with your son. I am really sorry to hear that making friends doesn't come easy to your son and it has had a massive impact on his life. Here at ReachOut, users have made some other posts here that you can search through. I am also wondering what are some things that you have tried so far?

[taokat]

Hi @Ihope, my heart breaks for you and your son and I totally understand how hard it is to see our kids with no friends. My daughter has had many years struggling socially, and seeing her now maintaining a couple of friendships is so awesome.

Does your son see a counsellor for his depression and anxiety? That could be something he might find really helpful in dealing with his thoughts and emotions. 

I'm also wondering if he has any hobbies or interests that he enjoys? Shared interests are a great way of meeting and making friends, and building self confidence. 

He might also find ReachOut's Youth forum beneficial. It's a supportive forum, just like this one, and is moderated so very safe and appropriate. You can find the youth forum here. It's a great space for struggling teens and young adults, offering advice and help from peers and moderators, and plenty of useful resources to read and fun things to take part in as well.