If someone you knew had your diagnosis/diagnoses, would you want them to know?

Accidentally Abstract · 02-09-2013, 09:06 AM

So, as the title says, if somebody close to you (e.g. your best friend, a parent, sibling, etc.) had the same diagnosis as you (or you thought that they matched the symptoms), would you want them to know about it?

I guess what I'm getting at is whether you think that obtaining your diagnosis has helped you overall or made things harder in some ways.

Would you encourage somebody close to you to seek help for their issues & get into the MH system, or would you only intervene if they were visibly struggling to cope?

I hope that makes sense.

Epicene · 02-09-2013, 09:31 AM

Personally, I wouldn't make any reference to diagnosis but point out to them that they seem to be struggling with x/y/z symptoms. Their reaction would probably determine the extent to which Id encourage them to seek help. But I think it's possible (and probably more helpful) to say you've successfully sought help for similar issues without any mention of diagnosis.

sherlock holmes · 03-09-2013, 05:00 PM

Yeah, if I was close to the person I'd speak about my own experiences and encourage them to seek help.

Ballerina123 · 03-09-2013, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sherlock holmes

Yeah, if I was close to the person I'd speak about my own experiences and encourage them to seek help.

This.

Is there someone close to you who you think has the same diagnosis as you?

Eccentrics · 03-09-2013, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sherlock holmes

Yeah, if I was close to the person I'd speak about my own experiences and encourage them to seek help.

This!

I actually went through a similar situation before where a girl I knew was displaying very similar symptoms to me and I had a strong inkling she may be struggling with some kind of social anxiety. This was also backed up by the fact a friend close to both of us hinted at it once or twice.

Once I got a bit close to her I started casually mentioning things like speaking exams coming up and social interaction - nothing specific just relating - and saw how she responded. (I found out that she was struggling and it was upsetting her a lot.) After a while she seemed to open up to me since we could relate to a lot of things, so I simply came out and asked her if she had seen anybody about her difficulties. It turned out my suspicions were correct and she did have social phobia. Now we come to each other to talk whenever we need a reminder that we're not alone, and to share progress.

Sorry that was quite long, I just wanted to put in my own personal experience as I can't think of direct advice right now. I hope that it was a little bit helpful to you in some way! I feel like my wording in this is a bit messed up but hopefully it's understandable.

Good luck with what you choose to do <3
-Holly

Accidentally Abstract · 05-09-2013, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ballerina123

This.

Is there someone close to you who you think has the same diagnosis as you?

Not really.. I was just thinking about some of the symptoms which I have which both my parents display sometimes & wondered whether if I actually thought they/anyone else had full-blown BPD then I'd mention it.. It was more of a query because I was wondering peoples' opinions.

I just know that for some people, going on to sites like this & getting into the MH system can make things worse, so wondered if people thought that their overall experience with getting help was good enough to recommend that your loved ones use the same system or not.

I don't know if any of this makes sense.

Thanks for replies, it's interesting to read your responses & experiences.

Epicene · 05-09-2013, 06:53 PM

I just thought I'd clarify that I would certainly encourage those close to me to seek professional support if they were experiencing symptoms that were having a negative effect on their life - I just wouldn't mention a specific diagnosis because it wouldn't be my place, and I think to suggest someone has a mental disorder (without proper assessment) can do more harm than good.

Angelina · 12-09-2013, 02:48 PM

I agree with shed.

Even though the MH system can be frustrating i would reccomend it because support is better than no support. I think without the NHS and had i stuck out uni/work i would have entirely self destructed by now. Im sure im not the only one so i would definitely reccomend they seek help- then at least you know you did what you could to help them.

Xxx