When I picture something getting called attention-seeking, I picture a miscommunication (or sometimes a series of miscommunications) in progress. For instance, someone may do something that you don't especially like because they expect that if they were to do anything else, you'd ignore them. Or you may decide that, because they're approaching you when you don't want them to, they must have a pathological need for your attention. Similarly...I don't see how they could suck any energy out of you without at least some cooperation from you. They may, of course, be skilled at getting you to want to help them. If you're hoping for some kind of return from whatever you do for them -- their appreciation, or at least the satisfaction of knowing that your advice did work for them -- but you don't get what you were looking for, you might feel like blaming them for apparently having exploited you.

They, meanwhile, might be thinking (among other things) that if your advice helps them, that could be the last they'll ever see of you. The way to keep you coming back and bailing them out again and again is probably to not benefit quite so much each time.

Then, too, if they were to get the impression that you were ready to blame them for wasting your time, they might even feel like getting back at you by passive-aggressively dragging their feet -- and getting you to waste even more time on them.