Telling people you have depression

I have had depression and bipolar for a long time,and i always hid it from people,very well.
Its so easy to pretend everything for a short time,when you have to_One time i was dating a girl and her friend had a boyfriend."Where is dave?" I asked once.
She replied he is not feeling well,and is laying down.He has depression and bipolar.
I said"this doesnt bother you?" she replied not at all he is fine most of the time.
I thought wow,what courage to admit your illness to someone.So a while ago i told one of my closest friends,an ex girlfriend about my illness.She said that explains alot of things,smiled and said if there is anything i can do just ask.
Dont be scared to tell people about your condition,if they care about you they will accept you the way you are.Sometimes it is better to be honest.
Take care
 
I totally understand what you're saying but sometimes people are not very understanding. As far as my family goes im sure they would be sympathetic but at the same time they will probably feel sorry for me. As far as the people in my school I really dont see them even caring.
 
My situation is different then most people, there is really no way to hide my anxiety and fears because everyone I know has learned about my condition. I had to quit my job a year ago after my anxiety and panic attacks took over my life and wouldnt let me stay out in public for long. I can no longer travel anywhere or go to family events unless they are in my home or within 2 or 3 miles of my home. My relationship with my girlfriend has suffered the consequences of my disease, literally after 2 months of dating I started getting anxiety attacks whenever we were out on the road far away from home and slowly I stopped going out and doing things with her. It is very difficult and very lonely at times suffering from something that I really cannot explain why it happened in the first place.
 
What had the doctors told you about the anxiety attacks and why they occur? Is there anything stronger that you can take or anything else that can be done to help you leave your house and do things outside? Reading your situation makes me feel like my feelings is nothing compared with what your are going through. Im sorry this disease has taken over your life.
 
There are mental conditions that you are better with when you have someone by your side, to help you. And most people want to help, we just need to ask for their help
 
I try to tell people about it because of all of the stigma and misinformation. But I understand why many people don't. Lots of people seem to believe that mental health problems and depression are something made up for attention, or something sufferers could just snap out of if they really wanted to. That's why I tell people, so they can see someone who refuses to act like it is a shameful secret. Because people with mental health problems shouldn't have to feel like their serious illnesses are fake.
 
Julie2011 said:
It's hard to admit I am depressed when I am. That is one main reason I wouldn't go out much. I didn't want people to judge me. However, I also have had the fortunate opportunity to meet people who do understand, and I had friends that were my friends for years and years.

We all went our separate ways because we were all going through quite a number of changes. However, at least for the years I had my friends they were understanding people. My huge issue though is I sometimes am (as a person said in another post) feeling like I have not much to give to friendships/relationships.
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It is important to remind yourself that you have plenty to give, even if it is simply a sympathetic ear. Our high tech society does a pretty good job of isolating people. So at the same time you are sitting alone, feeling you must have nothing to contribute, your neighbor is probably sitting there thinking the same thing. I'm not saying that's a good thing; I'm just saying that it is important you realize it isn't a reflection on you as a person. Elderly people who can't get out anymore are especially affected by this. Perhaps you could get involved with a group that visits elderly people to read to them and keep them company. Alleviating someone else's feeling that they no longer have anything to contribute can help with your feelings too. :)
 
I didn't tell my friends I was depressed, but now I wish I at least told someone. My friends didn't find out I had a problem until I stopped going outside all of a sudden. I feel that if I had someone to talk to about it, I might have been able to recover from it sooner than I did.

Never be afraid to let your friends know about your depression. It's good to have someone close you can trust to talk about your problems. If you're friends aren't willing to accept your condition or just tell you to 'get over it', then you're probably better off without them. Not to mention, it's hard to hide being bipolar for a long period of time because it's bound to come out one way or another. That's not a situation you want to find yourself in. You should give your friends as much information about your problem as possible.
 
It kind of saddens me to think about how many friends I've lost because I didn't tell them anything. Because I kept my mouth shut about what I was going through, they thought that I just didn't want to be bothered. Instead of facing the truth, I just let them keep thinking that. Of course now, I've learned how to stop doing this self-destructing behavior. It's always best to confide in those close to you about what's happening.
 
I didn't tell anyone about my depression, I know they wouldn't believe me because every time they see me I appear hyper and somewhat of a happy go lucky person. At one point though, I just broke down all at once and refused to go to school and out of my room for 3 whole months. Everyone has come to realise how bad the situation is (for them at least). It worried the school administration the most, and they all felt relieved when I came back because they said that "because of it all my talent was set aside and neglected".

It was always like this. I grew up alone and had no choice but to endure and keep everything to myself. No one was able to help because no one was literally there.
 
Heatman

Heatman

Member
Most people don't even understand what depression is all about. No matter how much you try to explain to them what depression is affecting you, they will not understand. As a result of that, I don't bother telling them I'm depressed.
 
No matter how difficult it is to talk about my feelings and depression, I have always known that talking about it makes me feel a bit better. It's always as if a heavy load have been taken away from my chest whenever I talk about my depression.
 
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