Should I Tell My Employer Or My School That I Have Been Suffering With An Anxiety Disorder?
Dr. Whiteside answers the question: 'Telling An Employer About My Anxiety?'
— -- Question: Should I tell my employer or my school that I have been suffering with an anxiety disorder?
Answer: Typically our goals in treatment are to help people manage their anxiety and reduce their anxiety to the point where it's no longer interfering with their functioning. Our goal then would be that individuals could have anxiety disorders without needing to share the fact that they have an anxiety disorder with friends or families or employers.
Certainly that is a process that takes time, and at times, especially early in treatment, it can be helpful for those around you to know that you have an anxiety disorder, and that there are things that are difficult for you to do but that at some point you are hoping to be able to get back to being able to perform those duties at school or at work.
Also, it can be helpful to share that information because it can reduce misunderstandings with people in your life and prevent them from becoming frustrated if they believe you're not doing something because of a willful decision when in fact you're having difficulty with it because of your anxiety.
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