Are you open about your mental health.

[venusbluejeans]

After reading a post on the No More Panic Facebook page I asked a question on there and I thought i would ask the same question on here too.

I was just wondering who is open about their mental health to others, who hides it from even their nearest and dearest?

What are the resons behind you sharing/keeping to yourself..... your illness

There is obviously no right or wrong answer to it.. I was just curious everyone is different and no one should be feel obliged to tell anyone else about their problems at all.

Just after your opinions about sharing it really

Me personally..I will will strike up a conversation about mental health issues to absolutely anyone, but not go into personal details unless I trust them. Mainly because I feel the stigma around mental health is still huge and mental health needs coverage BUT not everyone needs to know my personal health details.............. you wouldn't go and tell a random person on the street that you have a Verucca would you? but you may tell your friends

[BikerMatt]

Just my GP,nearest and dearest for me:)

[PanchoGoz]

yeah just mates i know well, doctor if it's relevent. i don't spread it round everyone as i find it a little self indulgent, i don't know why. if i don't know someone very well and they start to go on about their mental health i get bored quickly as it doesn't interest me. I find everyone seems to have some mental problem. if it's a mutual conversation where we are sharing our experiences then i won't hide it, i'll join in. i suppose that's more about social skills than mental health stigma, or am i adding to the stigma by feeling bored by other people's opening up? who knows

[MyNameIsTerry]

yeah just mates i know well, doctor if it's relevent. i don't spread it round everyone as i find it a little self indulgent, i don't know why. if i don't know someone very well and they start to go on about their mental health i get bored quickly as it doesn't interest me. I find everyone seems to have some mental problem. if it's a mutual conversation where we are sharing our experiences then i won't hide it, i'll join in. i suppose that's more about social skills than mental health stigma, or am i adding to the stigma by feeling bored by other people's opening up? who knows

I don't think there is anything wrong there, Pancho. If you are in a situation like here, or maybe walk-in groups, then I'm sure you would take an interest but a random conversation is different. I would be receptive, dependant on how I was feeling that day if I'm honest, but I wouldn't expect to hear about it.

Like Venus says, people don't go around openly engaging people over their health issues. Its boring. I would feel like "ok, thats nice, speak to your GP" because I've got my own issues and I'm not there to offer advice, I'm there doing my shopping!

If I see someone in obvious distress or if someone asks for help, its different. Otherwise, I don't believe in making things the problems of others outside of the correct format such as these places.

I will talk to people, but within those formats. Beyond that, I would rather have a normal conversation even if its about the boring weather! Otherwise it feels like some form of projection of rumination onto others.

[Davit]

People here know what I do, it is pretty hard to have a normal conversation but can be done. Every one knows someone with a mental condition.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I've just noticed the title properly. So, the answer is no I'm not open about NMP's mental health or that of the admins :winks::D

[venusbluejeans]

Pah ha ha Terry.... My y wasnt being good!

Thats better lol

[SarahH]

I will tell anybody but clearly don't go into detail about my issues unless asked questions. Because I was "pensioned" out of the police force due to my PTSD people always understand. I don't talk about day to day in depth issues unless asked. I think that the more people talk about mental health issues openly the quicker it will become "normalised" in society.
If I had been pensioned off because I had heart problems for instance it would be said openly so I just tell people. Don't get me wrong I don't go charging into every social situation shouting "hey guess what guys I'm mad as a box of frogs".

Its just my opinion but I really think the fact that I am open about my illness gives me far more confidence about myself.

Sarah

[Richard1960]

I am open about my depression with work and professionals treating me but am very careful with people i do not know very well,once i would not have been but Mental Health should be de-stigmatised and if we are really that closed off then the barriers will never get broken down in my view.

How things have moved on since my parents generation.

[jillycoops5]

I am open to degree about my depression probably more so as this is the second time of depression in 6 years. I am open with friends and family and have told one of my managers at one of the sites i work at because i needed time off to go to the doctors and was feeling particularly low. I don't tell everyone as I don't think they need to know. If people are talking about depression then i will tell them and it is surprising who else and how many people are suffering from depression/anxiety.

[Sam123]

Over the last few years i've started to open up a little, my partner knows everything about my past and i do tell him my thoughts sometimes. I'm a private person in general and don't like to show anything that could be seen as 'weakness' also i don't like the thought of putting stress on my family.
I find it much easier to talk online and not face to face about my emotions and mental state, i saw a Councillor for a while for my PTS this made me open up but was a very difficult process.

[GingerFish]

I am open about my panic disorder and agroaphobia now but for a while I wasn't as I refused to believe that is what I had. I thought I had some sort of serious mental or physical problem. I couldn't believe it was just in my head.
It took me about 6 months to fully tell my partner and family. I became housebound and they at first put it down to laziness but then I opened up to them at xmas 2013 when I couldn't even sit downstairs and have dinner with them. I sat with my bf in my mum's room eating dinner in tears, that's when I came clean and they have been supportive.

I am open about it now on FB and regularly post when I have good days saying how proud I am of doing certain things such as yesterday when I went into town on a jam packed day and stayed in for an hour and a half with no panic attacks. Some people may like keeping it to themselves but I like being open so anyone else who is in that situation knows they can come to me. I've had a few friends mail me since I have posted about it asking for advice so it just shows you, you never know who could be suffering in silence.