Well yes I do now but I used to have a very easy way of making them when I was manic. Lately I have been going through depression and I have pushed people away. Plus it have been situational since my very best friend moved away and I felt abandoned by her so I guess I felt that others would abandon me too. I have a very wonderful companion who helps me through and I consider him my best friend. I have 3 children and my family and my friends on here. And with me having a family I really do not have the time to go and hang out with friends and mingle plus I am a family oriented person these days so I wouldnt be interested in it if I had the chance. My friends on here give me all the support I need and I am fine with just that. I am very sorry that you are having to feel this way. Do you have any close family members to spend time with like a brother, sister, or cousin? Sometimes that can help because we can sometimes feel more comfortable around people we know. And the support group with be a good idea also. (((((hugs)))))

I have trouble making friends mainly because I have trouble meeting people my own age. I never know where to go. I have a lot of acquaintances, but few good friends.

I have never been able to make friends easily and on the rare occasion that I do I usually end up losing the friendship through neglect..... However, I am schizoid so I don't really mind. I really just don't even know how to interact socially....... If you are just shy then maybe a group is just what you need..... some common ground... a weekly get together may help you feel more comfortable.... Good Luck with it!

I've always had a few close friends and that's it. They've moved away now, and I only keep in touch with them via email or the phone. I have my friends here, of course. I'm not really a shy person, but I am very reserved. So, I do have a problem making friends. Lately, I've been missing having someone to go to lunch with or grab a movie with. I've been thinking of trying to make friends at church.

Do you belong to a church or could you take a continuing ed class of some interest to you where maybe you'd meet people with the same interest such as painting or photography? Give you something in common to begin with.

Good luck.

Due to unmedicated Bipolar I went thru Marriages and Common-Laws and long term Girlfriends and burnt bridges so ended up with no-one. I also moved from Europe to the States and then Canada when I met a Canadian in New Mexico. I have one good freind and also a place called Mental Health Connections where people like myself can socialize and meet for groups.

I have a handful of great friends. 1 has been my friend 20 years and has seen me through thick and thin, my other best friend I met online and although he lives an hours drive away I see him once a week when possible and talk to him whenever I need someone.

I find it harder to make friends with women than men.

Maybe the support group would be a good place to start, it might help having family with you, make you more relaxed

i dont make friends easily..i only have one friend in the real world. i see her maybe once a month .otherwise i stay home and i like it that way... i am not a very social person .i find it too stressful.

Thank you for sharing your stories with me. I do go to a very nice church. It is full of nice people. Many of my friends from my past have moved or it was me that moved. People seem so busy now that they don't hang out like they used to.

I have always had issues when it comes to socialisisng & making friends. I did some crazy shit before I was diagnosed & put on meds. so lost a lot of friends. However if they were real friends they would have helped. I always seem to pick the wrong people who piss off when things get bad, so it's made me very cynical about people. One day I hope things will get better & that I'll be able to socialise & retain friendships.

I have the same trouble making friends as most of you. I am a friendly person but just not good at making friends. I enjoy people and like listening to them but honestly I can only handle having a few close friends anyway. Just have to have that alone time or I can get stressed out. Unfortunately, with BP that alone time can turn into isolating when I am depressed.

I was whining around about this very thing last weekend seeing how my husband is an extreme extrovert and has all kinds of friends, I was kind of feeling like a looser and what's wrong with me. So I googled what's wrong with being an introvert and found this wonderful website that describes me to a T as an introvert as well as my husband as an extrovert. It also lists the misconception people have about introverts. Because extroversion is so highly valued in our society people think that's the way everyone should be or it's viewed as a pathology instead of it just being a temperament that we are born with. Whew, glad to know that. I read an excerpt from one book that says we even process dopamine differently or something like that. Anyway if there are any introverts out there check it out.

The Introvert Advantage

http://www.theintrovertadvantage.com/being.html

I'm not in any situations where I really meet new people to be meeting new friends...

by the way. I did make a few friends at a support group. One of them is my best friend today... who knows what'll happen........

I have 3 very close friends. One I've known since first grade, another that she introduced me to 15 years ago, and one that doesn't live in my state and met online, and we have become very close. I think about how grateful I am everyday that I have that, but that doesn't mean I don't feel alone alot of the time. I think a support group is a great idea because you are meeting people who can understand you easily, and you don't have to get past any uncomfortable feelings of "what would they think of me?"