Most of us have a “zany” cousin or aunt who swears by the astrologist who said “leave your husband and move to Key West” or the friend who refuses actual therapy but is paying a life coach to help explain why he/she has never been in a healthy romantic relationship and can’t hold down a job for longer than 6 months.
What can a bystander do- except listen with empathy when you can stand it, and end the conversation when you can’t?? There are all sorts of people out there preying on the vulnerable. Sometimes the advice is benign (go to Sedona to meet with a crystal guru; friend claimed she came back renewed…) and sometimes the advice is dangerous (a cousin who is now refusing chemo because her life coach said she can cure herself with nutritional supplements and a Feng Shui consultant for her home).
Until an adult is deemed incompetent… there isn’t much you can do. We all know people drinking themselves into an early grave, or still smoking three packs a day despite a hacking cough. You can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.