Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi
so I am newly diagnosed and have not yet told my family ( mum dad and sister) … only my husband and a couple of close friends are aware
im feeling really anxious about telling my family … there is history of sweeping difficult conversations about MH and other stuff under the carpet and never mentioning it again ….
Any advice or suggestions on how to tell them
im not going to do it unless my husband is able to come with me for moral support which he is happy to do
Welcome aboard!
I'm almost 50 and went through diagnosis in Feb this year.
Similar in that I told very close friends and obviously my wife, but then struggled a bit with telling others.
I ended up telling my parent mid argument on WhatsApp about something they were being odd about, so didn't really go to plan. Later that week i went to see them ans talked about It more. It doesn't get spoken about that much since but I think they get it.
Best advice I can give is to do it when it feels right for you in a way you're comfortable with and don't have too many expectations.
people will react in their own way and might need time to digest and understand what you've told them. You might not get the supportive response you want and deserve immediately. They may well not know how to offer the support they want to offer, which could be in an attempt to be tactful. Unexpected reactions don't necessarily mean they don't care.
Plus there's the double empathy theory to factor in.
Good luck, hope it all goes ok!