Here are some possible reasons that someone might have difficulty developing close, reciprocal relationships with friends.

QUESTION Hi Irene, I was Googling 'toxic friends' and came across your blog. I am friends with a pretty great group of women, with the exception of ...

By Barbara R. Greenberg, PhD and Jennifer A. Powell-Lunder, PsyD Teens are hard-pressed to know when they should phase out a friendship. As parents, ...

QUESTION Hi Irene: Three friends never seem to work. One person always gets excluded in one way or another. I just moved to a new town where my husb...

QUESTION Hi Irene, My best friend from college (who later was my maid of honor) and I had a fall out three years ago. After 13 years of friendship, ...

QUESTION Hi Irene, I've been burdened with the knowledge that the husband of one of my closest friends was unfaithful to her. They have two very you...

QUESTION Hi, Irene. My husband and I are good friends with a couple and enjoy their company. However, they have a 5-year-old child who is completely...

QUESTION Dear Irene, My best friend and I had a major falling out 4½ years ago shortly after the death of my two-year-old son. At the time I was so...

QUESTION Hi Dr. Levine, I have read most of your posts about needy friends and overbearing friends and annoying friends. I am in a long-term friends...

QUESTION Hi Irene, Three and a half years ago I left my husband. We divorced amicably and have a collaborative and supportive co-parenting relatio...

QUESTION Hi Irene, I have a certain friend with whom I've grown very close over a relatively short period of time (a little over a year). She is an ...

QUESTION Hi Irene, I haven't spoken to an old best friend for quite some time. I was the last one to initiate contact after the relationship had bec...

QUESTION Hi Irene, My husband and I moved across the country 10 years ago so he could pursue a job after finishing graduate school. After re-esta...

QUESTION Dear Irene, Your recent post Expecting...and feeling let down by friends piqued my interest. My husband and I have been trying to get pre...

Saying NO can unravel a friendship but sometimes there's no way around it. Many of us have a hard time saying NO to a friend. When someone's a tru...

QUESTION Hi Irene, I am in an awkward situation with a friend whom I'll call Carla and don't know how to handle it. She's noticed that I've been pul...

QUESTION Dear Irene, I am six months pregnant, and moved to my current city 2½ years ago. I hadn't had a chance to tell all my friends yet (many ...

QUESTION Hi, I have grown up moving around a lot---five middle schools and six elementary schools to be exact. Always being the new kid conditioned ...

QUESTION Hi Irene, A few years ago, I started meeting a couple of old friends for lunch every month or two. Well, the longer we do it, the less I en...

QUESTION Dear Irene, I am in my late 50s and feel discouraged to discover that all of my friendships seem so fluid. I've had very good friends durin...

QUESTION Hi Irene, What should you tell a teen whose friend is nothing but trouble when she feels that the friend is her best friend in the who...

For many women, Valentine's Day means much more than hearts, chocolates, and roses. The affection they feel on that day extends beyond lovers to their...

QUESTION Dear Irene, I've been dealing with a painful friendship break-up but I'm actually happier now without my ex-friend. It was more of a one-si...

QUESTION Dear Irene, I've had a great best friend for about 6 years now. We were always depending on each other, hanging out together practically ev...