I have a friend that has a couple different mental illnesses which I couldn’t name and don’t really want to guess at. They also have struggled with substance abuse and for a brief period homelessness. This is a friend that I was close to almost 6 years ago in college, however we haven’t really kept in touch since then. Recently I looked them up and they seem to be really struggling. They’ve been in and out of the psychiatric center, and just posting some awfully sad and hurtful things on social media that give me a little glimpse as to where they are at. I really want to reach out to this person and let them know I’ve been thinking about them- but I’m not sure if it would be appreciated at this time. 

If you are in a dark place, how do you feel when people check in on you? Is it appreciated or does it make things worse in any way for you? I’d like to think my friend would be happy to hear from me- but I could also see it go the other way just based off the things they’ve been posting lately. thanks for any input.