Nadine Kaslow, Ph.D., Emory University School of Medicine
Question: Will people treat me differently if I tell them I have depression?
Answer: If you tell somebody that you have depression, and I strongly recommend that you do tell people, then they might indeed treat you differently.
Some people will treat you by being much more caring and concerned and compassionate, reaching out to try to help you, to support you, to comfort you, and to try to help you get appropriate assistance and guidance.
Unfortunately, however, there still is a stigma with mental health problems. And so sometimes when you tell somebody you're depressed, they may sort of ignore you, or not know how to interact with you, and so they may be less nice to you, and sometimes people can say even mean things to kids who are depressed, unfortunately.
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