Jill Squyres Groubert, PhD, is a clinical psychologist based in Arvada, Colorado and the author of 8-Week Couples Therapy Workbook.Įlizabeth Lombardo, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and the author of three mental health books, including A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription To Happiness.įor example, there are kinds of toxic friends called guilt inducers, says Erin Miers, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and consultant for parenting website Mom Loves Best. And if all that weren't enough, a toxic friendship can also drain you and make you doubt yourself.Īndrea Bonior, PhD, is a clinical psychologist based in the Washington, DC area and the author of three mental health books, including The Friendship Fix: The Complete Guide to Choosing, Losing, and Keeping Up With Your Friends.Įrin Miers, PsyD, a is a clinical psychologist, a consultant for parenting website Mom Loves Best, and an Instructor in Psychiatry at Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine. You can tell a friend is toxic when they 'cause stress and sadness or anxiety' and 'doesn't help you be who you want to be,' she adds. But generally, a toxic friendship 'emotionally harms you, rather than helping you,' says clinical psychologist Andrea Bonior, PhD, author of The Friendship Fix: The Complete Guide to Choosing, Losing, and Keeping Up With Your Friends. This kind of friendship has a tendency to sneak up on people because the signs are often subtle. If you're starting to feel like your 'bestie' is no longer the best thing for you, chances are you're in a toxic friendship. But even with the best of friends, it becomes difficult to overlook an increasingly frequent pattern of more toxic traits, like making passive aggressive comments, lying, and putting you down. You can forgive a friend for a lot-like, maybe your college pal forgot your birthday or your new mom friend flaked on your dinner plans last minute.

Friend gaslighting me