Toxic friendships can significantly affect your mental health, often in subtle but profound ways. Here's a detailed look at how these unsupportive relationships can affect you.

Friendships in youth play an important role in personal growth and emotional health. However, not all friendships are positive or supportive. Toxic friendships can have a profound effect on a young person's mental health, affecting their self-esteem, stress levels and overall emotional stability. Understanding the signs of toxic friendships and their potential consequences is essential for both young people and their caregivers.

Signs of a toxic friend

• Constant Criticism: Toxic friends frequently criticize you, often under the guise of 'honest feedback' or 'just kidding'.
• Lack of support: In a healthy friendship, support should be mutual. If your friend is not constantly supportive of your needs and actions, that's a red flag.
• Jealousy and competitiveness: A toxic friend can show jealousy or competitiveness towards you, undermining your success. Such an attitude can create a sense of hostility rather than support.
• One-sided efforts: If you're always reaching out to, planning, or supporting your friend while rarely making changes, the relationship can be unbalanced and toxic.
• Isolation from others: Toxic friends may try to isolate you from other supportive relationships or cause discord with those around you.

How do toxic friendships affect your mental health?

Dr. Trideep Chaudhary, Associate Consultant Psychiatrist, Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, Fortis Faridabad, speaking to India.com shared, “Healthy friendships reflect our true selves and guide us on the right path by promoting personal growth. Conversely, toxic friendships lower self-esteem, hinder personal development, and can lead to negative behaviors and isolation from support systems, making it difficult to seek help and maintain well-being.

1. Low self-esteem: Toxic friendships often involve manipulation, criticism, and weak behavior. This can affect your self-esteem as you may doubt your worth, abilities and self-worth. Constant negative feedback or comparison to others can make you feel inadequate and unworthy.
2. Anxiety and Depression: Being around friends who are negative or critical can increase feelings of anxiety and depression. Constant fear of judgment or confrontation can make it difficult to relax or feel safe, which can affect your mental health.
3. Isolation: Toxic friends can cut you off from other supportive relationships, either intentionally or unintentionally. This isolation can increase feelings of loneliness and exacerbate mental health struggles
4. Emotional Damage: Toxic relationships can be emotionally draining. If you're constantly dramatized, manipulated, or one-sidedly supportive, you can feel drained and overwhelmed, which can lead to increased stress and anxiety.
5. Negative Attitudes: Constant exposure to a friend's negative attitudes and behaviors can cause you to adopt similar thought patterns. You may begin to see yourself in a more negative light, mirroring their critical views.

Recognizing patterns and learning the consequences of toxic relationships is key to starting the healing process and creating more supportive relationships. By addressing the issues caused by toxic friendships, you can work to rebuild your self-esteem, ease emotional pain, and improve your mental health.