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My long-term boyfriend told me that my mental health has affected him and he just wants to be friends as though nothing more ever happened. This really hurts me. What should I do?

176 Answers
Last Updated: 01/29/2024 at 7:26pm
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Top Rated Answers
Pumpkin74
April 6th, 2018 11:39am
Sadly, sometimes people are not able to cope with others who have mental health issues. This does not mean that you have done something wrong, but it means that some people do not know how to cope and give the proper support you need. The best thing you can do is to remember we can not control how others feel or how they react to us, but we can control ourselves. Take some time for self care and talk about things with friends and family. Keep moving forward and reach your full potential as you are meant to do!
Heretolove
April 6th, 2018 6:49pm
Ask him why he feels this way and what help could be provided to you to help you get through the hard mental state and if he refuses and says he can’t love you because your mental health he never truly loved you
Anonymous
April 26th, 2018 4:13pm
Sadly as much as you'd like to convince him to stay it's something you will have to respect. Perhaps you could sit down and talk with him about it, see if you can come to a resolution.
Robinzoo
May 3rd, 2018 9:51pm
You should sit down and speak with him. Tell him how you feel about it and really have a conversation about it. It's important that you both understand each other with a clarity.
Anonymous
May 4th, 2018 7:28pm
If he can't learn to support you and love you for who you are, forget about him. You deserve someone who will value you and give you the love and support you need. Sometimes a counselor can also help both partners in the relationship.
BunnieLuv
May 6th, 2018 9:39am
On a personal experience, this of course, is very upsetting. We want someone by our side during the hardest moments of our lives, and by this time, someone backs out because of something that we wish we didn't have. It is okay. I am to assure you that the pain might not feel tolerable, but the pain passes. You are very strong! After all the times you stood and fought when not much people can understand you, what holds you back now? There is therapy. There are medications. There are friends. There are many healthy coping mechanisms waiting out there for you to be discovered. And of course, there is always 7 Cups of Tea. One day, you will look back and not regret that yes, after everything, you were strong enough to handle everything with your own two feet, and you will be proud of yourself for that.
kayla008
May 16th, 2018 4:48pm
you should be honest with him and tell him it hurts your feelings. have a private discussion about both of your feelings and find a solution that works.
UntilThen
May 24th, 2018 10:21pm
As hurtful as it may be, if he is not comfortable being with you, that is his call. But on the other side of this, if you are not comfortable being just friends, that is your call as well. All you can really do is respect his choices and focus on making your own.
officerli
June 17th, 2018 4:51pm
He clearly wasn't someone you could rely on to begin with. If you disagree, I suggest offering that you two get help together. It'll possibly restore your bond while simultaneously helping you, mentally.
SomeoneWhoWantsToHelp
June 22nd, 2018 3:01am
I suggest that you talk to him about how you are affecting him. Better understand his point of view. But do not think negatively of yourself. If it is something small that you feel can be changed go for it. But if it goes on a deeper level of separation then consider friendship as perhaps a good thing
hugzy72
June 28th, 2018 10:05pm
I think you have to respect his decision and perhaps focus on yourself for a while. Consider counselling to help you get through any issues you may be having and learn to build a relationship with yourself, looking after yourself and caring for yourself are the first steps in having a fully functional relationship. Until we can have a good relationship with ourselves, its impossible to have one with someone else.
Anonymous
July 7th, 2018 8:39pm
Respect that he has come to you honestly, this must have been difficult. Maybe now you should also open up to him and say how this has hurt you. When you are both on the same page, it makes it a lot easier to solve the problem together.
Anonymous
July 14th, 2018 6:46am
It is important to protect yourself and be aware of negative influences. Keep yourself as the priority and take your time to heal.
Anonymous
July 21st, 2018 12:50pm
There's not much you can do about him he has already made this choice right on focus on yourself and your needs
WaterColorWitch
July 28th, 2018 5:40pm
Well, you must respect his wishes if he wants to end the relationship, he must respect yours if you are incapable of friendship. However, if you want to make it work, you may need to better explain what mental health care helps, how you cope, how to make it easier for him to understand and tend, as well as help you understand that he too is taking on the pressure, and must also be tended and nurtured. Both parties may have to work harder to make the whole thing work. It is up to the two of you.
delicateRose63
August 6th, 2018 4:47pm
I understand that you are hurt. No relationship is easy, but if he feels a certain way you should listen to him. It was hurtful I am sure to be told "nothing ever happened", and I think that was inconsiderate of your feelings. I would try maybe talking to him how that hurt you. Feel free to reach out to me personally, I understand am here to help with compassion and guide you to the best of my abilities.
magicallyNutella29
August 8th, 2018 10:42am
You should speak to him about what he means by this and think about if he cannot support you on your lows, then wouldn’t you want someone else to be there with you on your highs?
peacefulHeart25
August 24th, 2018 6:22am
Take this time to focus on managing your mental health and finding love for yourself. Become the best version of yourself. Focusing on someone else and their view or love for you is only a distraction to your overall goal of controlling your life. I am sure that you love him and you can see how this may be a lot for him to comprehend, but if it meant to be then it will happen with time and effort. Be selfish and only worry about you and what is best for you. If that leads to you two getting back together, great!! If not, then you have the best version of yourself to give to another guy who can love you, and grow with you more than you could imagine.
Anonymous
September 26th, 2018 7:39am
Talk to hik about him this has made you feel. And if he doesn't care don't be his friend. He needs to understand your mental health is not something you can easily change, and if he doesn't get that he isn't the right person for you. I'm sure you can find someone else, and they will be completely accepting of your mental health, what ever it may be. A partner should completely accept you. He can't decide that your mental health is "too much" or act like you can change it for him. If he doesn't understand that's his problem. So -Divina
Anonymous
October 3rd, 2018 1:30am
You should address it calmly let him know that it hurt you let him know that you are willing to be friends, but you'll never be able to pretend like nothing happened because he was apart of your life and that hard to forget just like that. then you should take care of yourself hold your head high and never forget that you are beautiful and he was something you had to go through to get to the person you will meet in the future that will love you and help you with your mental health problems and know that even though it's going to hurt you have to keep going don't let him see how much it has hurt you because you are amazing and we as girls have girl power
Anonymous
October 31st, 2018 4:57pm
It's difficult to accept that your boyfriend isn't supportive of your struggles with mental health. Struggling with mental health isn't the easiest thing to deal with. Maybe you should be friends with him & focus on yourself for the time being. Take a new hobby like drawing, writing poetry, or cooking. Take the energy to focus on you and ask yourself how you want to improve. Create goals such as travelling around the world, meeting new people, getting a therapist to help you with your mental health issues, or learning a new language to meet new people. Those are some ideas that I have.
Anonymous
November 14th, 2018 9:20pm
I had similar thing with my boyfriend a few years ago. I tried everything to get him back because that's all I wanted I even pretended I was fine. But he saw through that. It wasn't until I looked at myself and I thought about what I was going and how I could go through things. I realised I actually did need help. So I went and got help took a long time but i started to sort myself out. Then me and the boy started talking again became friend and eventually got back together. You have to do things for yourself not to win someone round. Might take months or years but if your meant to be together you will be.
Anonymous
November 28th, 2018 2:06pm
I myself would ask him why he wants to be just friends, what in your mental health affected him and how. I think the most important thing in this is that you two talk it all through, so both of you are on the same so-called level. This way, you two have an understanding of how you two feel. And, do not forget to tell him how this makes you feel. I think you should always tell the other person how you feel if they have hurt you by words or actions. Speaking up of problems helps a lot. After all of this, you can both re-evaluate whether you want to truly stay as friends, or continue being girlfriend and boyfriend.
Anonymous
November 29th, 2018 1:57pm
It's understandable how this can really hurt you and how it can make you feel unwanted and unloved. However, it is good that he was so open and honest about it. He says he feels affected by your mental health, so he would like to just be friends. It's a simple reaction to take care of himself. And that is normal. It will hurt a lot, but you should respect his decision. Is there anything positive you can take from this? You'll have more time to focus on yourself. You can learn how to be happy on your own and how to accept yourself outside of this relationship. You can learn not to be dependent on him or any other boyfriend that might come along. It will be difficult and it will hurt a lot, but maybe you can see this also as a chance for personal growth.
KittyHellbound19
December 12th, 2018 6:26pm
talk to him about. tell him how this makes you feel and maybe even talk to your parents about it. they might be able to help you. if you dont feel better after that then try to get out and do things. distractions are an easy way to forgive and forget. im not giving adivse im just telling you from personal experience what i have done when this has happened to me. break ups are hard, they are even harder when you feel like they are your fault. it is not your fault though it is his because he cant handle something that is hard to deal with. he just isnt the right guy for you.
A7Alzaabi
December 12th, 2018 9:11pm
Look words can hurt, but you should go talk to someone like your parents, teachers or friends because I have never been in your shows and don’t know, but don’t always listen to people have your own personality don’t let one boy ruin your confidence you have on yourself, and always know love is all about how much can you handle each other no matter what you have he must take care of you and still be together this is what true love really is but if you also think it might not work then go ahead no one is stopping you but keep in mind, you are the best!
happylistener333
December 16th, 2018 5:31pm
You need to talk to him about this and explain to him that this has hurt you deeply. Communication is essential in this. See what he says and explain that your feelings have been hurt. If he doesn’t want to be with you, then understand what the real reasons are. Explain that you are getting help and hoping to work through these issues and being in a long term relationship with him has made you very happy. If he understands this he will want to support you and be with you. If not, then you will be able to move on.
FlintWolf
December 21st, 2018 11:13am
Never let someone project the way they feel on your, or force you to take the blame for anything. When engaging with someone in a debate I always try to avoid words that generally accuse or lead people to acquiesce. What you can't do is take advice from others, you have to figure your relationship out yourself because nobody knows it better than you. I've been in a relationship for almost ten years, we've been through ups and downs that most couples could only imagine. Nothing is set in stone, your future is yours alone and with or without a specific person, there are billions of others out in the world to keep you company and plenty of listeners here on 7 cups who truly love and support you!
Anonymous
January 10th, 2019 8:27pm
Tell him what you think about it and how you feel. He needs to know both sides of the story and not just one. It hurts you and that is okay. It is okay to feel it and talk about it. Love hurts and it hurts to let someone go but sometimes we must take care of our own healthy first. It is like a list: 1. You 2. Then a very long time nobody 3. The people around you. You are the most important person in your life and it is really important that you put yourself on the first and not someone else. Talk about it and maybe try to feel like he does. It will help. Best luck!
Asher9151
January 12th, 2019 7:03pm
In situations like that, it might be best to acknowledge that, unfortunately, they aren't the person you may need right now. Everyone needs someone they can lean on for things like mental health, and it seems like he is unable to be supportive. It will probably hurt, but letting him go might best the best thing for you. It is also important to understand that hurting is normal, and you can grieve the relationship. However, don't let the grief control you. You need to take care of yourself both mentally and be surrounded with people who help you with that, and if he can't than letting him go will help you continue on your path.