I am a therapist and many of my clients are struggling because of MLM

I am a licensed therapist (posting anonymously for obvious reasons). I have seen a significant increase in clients dealing with anxiety, depression, relationship problems, and financial stress directly related to MLM involvement. Common themes include: shame about money lost, grief over damaged friendships, identity crisis after leaving an MLM that was their whole social world, and couples conflict over MLM spending. I am not here to debate whether MLM is good or bad - I just want people to know that if MLM is causing you mental health issues, you are not alone and it is okay to seek help.

Here is what bothers me most about the MLM industry: the blame-the-victim mentality. When someone fails, they are told they did not work hard enough, did not believe enough, or did not attend enough events. It is never the company fault or the model fault. This is textbook manipulation.

The comparison between MLM failure rates and traditional business failure rates is misleading. When a traditional business fails, the owner usually has assets, inventory, and equipment they can sell. When an MLM distributor fails, they have nothing but overpriced products in their garage.

You nailed it. I spent 2 years in network marketing and the only thing I gained was a garage full of unsold product and a smaller bank account. But I did learn valuable sales skills that I now use in a real job.

I think you are painting with too broad a brush. Not all MLM companies are the same. I have been with my company for 7 years and earn a consistent $4,000 per month. The key is finding a company with products people actually want to buy.

Your story mirrors mine almost exactly. I want you to know that it gets better. I left my MLM 2 years ago and it took about 6 months to stop feeling embarrassed. Now I can talk about it openly and even laugh about some of the ridiculous things I did. Healing takes time but it happens.