If you’re a teen with depression, anxiety, or Bipolar Disorder, then you might wonder on occasion whether or not to tell your friends
about your mental illness. You might be concerned about whether they will
judge, neglect, or even reject you. It can be a hard decision to make,
especially because there is so much attention in adolescence on being accepted
among friends. There are some important factors to keep in mind when making
this decision. This article will address those and hopefully facilitate the best
decision for you.
Deciding whether to tell your friends depends on a variety
of circumstances. First, your friends might be the type of people who
understand and who will accept you regardless of what you’re experiencing. But
you might need to assess whether your friends will be accepting or judgmental
towards you. Second, you might need to think about whether sharing this piece
of information about yourself will better your friendships or make them worse.
Sometimes when a person is going through a difficult time, it can be the very
thing that brings a relationship or a friendship closer together. Yet, some
teens may not see it as important and may not give too much attention to it.
And for some teens, the mental illness might be what places a burden on your
friendship. You will have to give this some consideration.
