CONFIDING IN YOUR PARTNER ABOUT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM

Opening up and deciding to tell your partner about your mental health condition can be a big deal. 

You might be scared and worry they might not respond well when you tell them about your condition and put you off which might hurt you. This is totally normal

In as much as telling your partner about your mental health problem is a good idea, it is not a must to do it. You should only do it when you feel like doing it. So don’t stress yourself and put too much pressure to do it.  

Talking about mental health can be hard for some people. Learn about safe ways to talk about your own mental health or illness;

• Try talking about your mental health problem the same way you might have any other conversation in your relationship. Find a good time, place, and have a proper, non-confrontational talk with your partner
• Be sober when having a conversation. It’s not usually a good idea to try to talk about important things when you’ve had a few drinks because it can make it hard for you to say what you wanted to tell your partner.
• Keep things simple so that your partner can understand the mental health issues you are dealing with. 
• Be specific when explaining things to your partner so that things can be clear to your partner 
• It is also a good idea to clarify things to your partner that it is not about being expected to be fixed but it is about knowing how your mental health condition might affect the relationship. 

If you find it difficult having a conversation with your partner, try talking to a counselor.  A counselor won’t try to "fix" the problems or tell either of you what to do — they’ll simply listen, and help you and your partner to develop ways of discussing what’s happening so that you’re able to move forward working as a team.