Helping Patients Make Friends in Adulthood

Susan J. Noonan, MD, MPH, discusses a myth about making friends: "Friendships happen naturally." It will take effort to form friendships as an adult, and you can express that to patients.

Dr Noonan is a physician consultant and Certified Peer Specialist in the Department of Psychiatry at McLean Hospital and the Massachusetts General Hospital. She is the author of four books and a blog on managing depression, most recently Helping Others With Depression: Words to Say, Things to Do (December 2020). Dr Noonan has a new mental health and wellness virtual coaching practice, opening in July 2021, known as Noonan Wellness Coaching, and can be confidentially reached through her website at https://susannoonanmd.com.