TikTok’s ‘Crisis Friend’ Debate Tops 2 Million Views as Experts Urge Nuance on One-Sided Friendships
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 13
TikTok’s ‘Crisis Friend’ Debate Tops 2 Million Views as Experts Urge Nuance on One-Sided Friendships
1 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 13
Summary
A TikTok debate over the “crisis friend” — someone who mainly contacts friends during emergencies — has gone viral, with one video warning against such relationships drawing more than 2 million views.
Experts say the label can blur an important distinction: a chronically one-sided friendship versus a temporary “crisis season” when someone genuinely needs extra support.
Shasta Nelson and psychotherapist Stephanie Sarkis say the real test is reciprocity over time — whether the friendship has enough mutual support, or “deposits,” to absorb periods of heavy need.
That question is getting sharper as loneliness leaves people with fewer close relationships, pushing more emotional demands onto a small circle of friends.
Their advice is to ask directly for reciprocity, thank friends for support, shift some conversations away from crisis, and avoid expecting conflict-free friendships.