How honest are you about your mental health to your friends?

[YouAreNotBatman]

And how much is it okey to talk about it?

I mean they talk to me about their problems, mire on what’s going on in their lives.
My parents didn’t ”believe” in mental health problems, so I’ve been really shamed until now about my anxiety and depression.

I still don’t know if it’s okey / good idea to open about it.

Do any of you talk about it?

I'm entirely open and honest about it. I don't bring it up unprompted, but if someone asks I don't spare any details and I'm happy to discuss it in a conversational manner.

Ridding yourself of self-stigma is hard, but it's necessary to really be able to get to grips with your long-term mental wellbeing, as the stigma often prevents you having a fair and accurate insight into your health. If people are still squeamish about Mental Illness, or want to look down on you for being frank, to hell with them, that's their issue and reflects badly on them, not you.

Totally open. Don’t care what people know. If I help one person not feel alone or scared then it’s more than worth it.

My friends and I are very open a out our mental health issues. We support each other through, either by talking, just sitting or recommending they seek professional help. Whatever is needed.

Personally, they were the first people I told aboit my diagnosis and subsequent medication for severe depression and anxiety.

They also tell me about their struggles with their mental health or medications etc.

My mum was the same as your parents OP, she didn't believe in mental health issues (except for her own anxiety of course), so my friends were and are my rock!

I hope you feel strong enough to discuss your issues with a trusted person and that they support you however you need.

I don’t find it easy to be TBH. I should be more open but I just struggle with it. I suppose I’d also worry friends may abandon me if I was honest but I have lost touch with a lot over the years because of my MH. So I’d have been better off being honest really. I just find it very very hard.

Not at all.
There is literally no one I could talk openly to about mh.

They dint ask, I don’t say.

I have however talked at length to them about their mh problems.
Its very one sided.

I don’t say anything at all. They have their own shit to deal with. They don’t want or need mine too.

Nope, the only person I talk to is my regular well-being coach who is working on behalf of the NHS to support me following CBT. You’re advised to be open and talk through your issues with friends and family, but it is easier said than done. I opened up to a friend a while ago who said she understood etc, said I could call her anytime and then she backed off quite quickly.

I'm bipolar.....and fairly transparent. You never know who you might be helping by being open and honest.

I’m open with some people, not so much with others.

I've been surprised recently (maybe a post covid thing?) That people are much more open about MH. I've had friends be proactively open about a range of conditions. My friends 15/20 years ago would NEVER have done this!

My parents are the dismissive types too but less so than years ago.

It depends - I'm honest to the people who I am very close to, but not to the point of burdening them.

Totally honest, and if they distanced themselves then fuck them, they weren't friends anyway. I have been totally surprised by the number of people who opened up once I was honest about their own struggles. I'm very careful though that my mental health issues are my own to deal with and that whilst I'm honest about it I'm not asking them to fix me or making anyone else responsible for me. It goes both ways and I'm happy to be a listening ear to friends who need one.

Honest but without over sharing or getting into the detail

Not very. I find it makes people uncomfortable in all honestly and there’s not much they can really do really.

I have one friend who I am 100% honest with and she's the same with me. No one else would be interested. I also have ASD and have told very few people about that. Family dismiss it as nonsense and no one else really takes any notice so I don't bother.

Very as my friends are all I have really and my husband. My parents will not acknowledge it at all. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 4 years ago (after 15 years of it) and they’ve never once acknowledged it. It makes me quite sad.