There’s a bit of a long story to this but I’m not quite ready to get into it. Basically I feel really lonely. Like, really lonely. It wasn’t always like this. Ever since I received my mental health diagnosis and people around me found out, they either outright left me or distanced themselves. I’ve never done anything hurtful to them during this time, nor have I become a ‘bad person’. Nothing changed, except for my diagnosis. Ever since this label, almost everyone I thought of as a close and dear friend has left my side. I don’t have support socially. I don’t even have people to talk to about my mental health to see if this is something that happens or is exclusive to me. So, though I kind of wanted to write this to get this off my chest, I also am wanting to know: has anyone else had this experience, and how did you get through it? Were you able to connect with new people? Does it get better?