Autism indicator.
Bad at identifying and/or appropriately judging the rationality of social cues → repeatedly accidentally making people uncomfortable, without knowing why → conditioned to assume you’re ALWAYS screwing up socially, regardless of your progress
because social withdrawal is a symptom of severe depression in the same way a fever is a symptom of the flu. is it a little more complicated/layered? yes. is it healthy? no, severely depressed people are not healthy. should we be moralizing it? no. people need help not judgment
ngl the comments in this thread are genuinely disturbing. if you can't hangout and make time and energy for your friends when they're at their lowest you don't deserve them at their best