Being a good listener is a gift, but some people treat it like an unlimited resource.

When a woman known as the “agony aunt” of her friend group took a socially isolated newcomer under her wing and told him he could always talk, the newcomer took that offer and ran with it — every single day.

Suddenly, what started as friendship slowly became a full-time emotional support role she never signed up for.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA for ignoring my depressed friends’ cries for help?

I have a large group of tightly knit friends, mostly men, and I’m sort of “the leader” of the group.

We’re all involved in a subculture that’s very open about mental health, so we all speak very openly about our issues and support each other.

Her friends even have a cheeky nickname for her.

They dub me “the agony aunt” as I’m very well trusted and respected, so I’m usually the person people come to with their deepest, darkest problems.

So she found herself getting close with one man in particular.

A couple of years ago I made friends with a guy and kind of took him under my wing.

His only group of friends were other men who’d never dare to talk about feelings, and they’d even pick on him for being “weak.”

This guy doesn’t mesh super well with the rest of the group.

I introduced the new guy to my group and everyone seems to like him, although he acts a bit distant with people and always says that he doesn’t think they like him, which isn’t true.

He’s just incredibly insecure.

Lately, she’s starting to feel overwhelmed by how much this guy needs her.

I feel that I made a massive mistake by telling him that if he needs to talk I’ll always be there.

I say the same thing to all my other friends, and they do take me up on that offer occasionally, which I don’t mind.

But this guy has taken her offer to a whole knew level.

But the new guy began messaging me every single day with a new “problem.” It’s usually something like he met a girl he liked but she probably doesn’t like him back, or that he “feels sad and doesn’t know why.”

It’s gotten to quite an unhealthy level.

I’ve begun to realize that he’s taken to needing me to validate his every thought and feeling. He calls me, messages me, and comes to my house all the time just to complain about whatever is bothering him that day.

He’d never ask how I am doing either — he treats me more as an emotional crutch than a friend.

The way he goes about sharing these feelings is frustrating to say the least.

When he speaks to me his messages are extremely vague. He doesn’t usually tell me directly what’s wrong, he just acts very sad and I don’t know what to say to him anymore.

I’ve told him that he needs to see a doctor but he just acted like I was being dramatic.

Now it’s starting to weigh heavy on her.

It had become such a daily stress for me that I’ve stopped reading his messages and hanging out with him. My inbox is full of unread messages and missed calls from him.

He knows that I worry about friends, so he’s sending vague messages that push me — like “I feel like doing something stupid…” — but I’m trying not to take the bait.

She tries to tell herself that these boundaries are necessary, but she still isn’t sure.

I know that he has pretty severe depression and has harmed himself before, but I feel like I’ve done everything I can to help him and that he’s just using me at this point.

I stopped speaking to him for the sake of my own mental health but I still feel bad about it.

AITA?

What did Reddit have to say?

Some problems are really better suited for a professional.

She really should be more upfront with her friend about how his actions are impacting her.

It isn’t right to take advantage of someone’s kindness like this.

This user agrees that honesty is the best policy.

It’s clear this guy is really in need of support, but maybe he’s just not looking for it in the right place.

Sometimes you think you need a friend when what you really need is a therapist.

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.