Just some thoughts:

-They're lazy

Possibly, but don't know if that counts for everyone involved here. A lot of them are real go-getters... same group that raised the $46,600 for the Star Wars charity... but some of them do have a lot of things going on in their own lives as well, which doesn't leave any time for me.

>>-They think that your other friends have you covered

I think this accounts for most of the explanation... even though I have told people it is not the case. When I take a step back what makes me hurt the most is the realization that most of my friends are busy with priorities, those priorities being the people close to them in their lives... caring for a sick mother, busy making wedding plans, etc... And although I've considered many of my friends to be special people in my life, for all of my humanity somehow I have ended up with no one thinking that I am a special person in their life. I have never been lonely in my life, even when most alone... until now.

>>-They're uncomfortable because they don't have experiece with this

A lot of the people I'm talking about have both knowledge and experience with mental illness, some with family members (but see, I'm not a family member... I don't have any family members). In general though I know that that is a big problem for a lot of people... which is why in the past I've always made an effort to visit hospitals, etc.

>>-They're thinking, "If I was in his shoes, this is what I would want people to back off and give me space..."

Well that's why it is important to speak up for what you need and what you want, which I have done...

<hr>

My arthritis is also flaring up very badly this evening, worse than it has been for a while, so that's part of why I am so grumpy too...