Posted by Tabitha on March 25, 2003, at 13:45:10
In reply to Newbie Poster, posted by dogboy on March 25, 2003, at 12:45:03
Hi dogboy, here's my experience with this...
I tried being 'out' about my illness, and I found I didn't really get the response I wanted. People would mostly either say nothing (I think they were just uncomfortable) or else they'd go into nurse mode and treat me like a delicate little thing. The worst thing was when people just plain disapproved of my choice to take meds. I finally had to ask myself what I was really trying to achieve by sharing it. Maybe I just hadn't fully accepted and understood that part of my identity myself, and was trying to get others to do that for me. That wasn't fair of me, and of course I was bound to be disappointed in the result.
I also occasionally tried crusader mode, where I'd tell depressed friends or relatives how much psych meds had helped me, hoping they'd want to follow my path. Well they didn't, and I just ended up a little annoyed. So that didn't work either.
Now I decided to not share about it anymore, unless it really gets to the point in a relationship where you're close enough to share health concerns. It feels like a relief to be able to keep that aspect of myself private.
poster:Tabitha
thread:212561
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030322/msgs/212596.html