After being diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2012, Sarah Merritt Ryan explores the surprise, relief, and freedom she felt when she shared her diagnosis with loved ones and peers.

When you have something about yourself that you don’t think anyone can know about – like a psych ward visit, a stigmatized mental health diagnosis, or antipsychotic use – it can create an unintentional barrier between you and others.

Keeping something from others can distance you. However, it's understandable to be cautious about who has access to this personal information, given the stigma around it.

The decision on what and how to disclose is a personal one, and it can only be made by the individual. There is no "right" answer – but there's an answer that's right for the person going through the experience.

I can speak about my personal experience with disclosure, and how careful and gradual I've been in how I share it. Disclosure has played a huge role in my life, and I've often had surprising reactions from people.

Disclosure can be a personal and complex decision

One reason disclosure isn't easy is that you can never predict another person's experience or understanding of mental illness.

Their opinions and understanding of mental illness may be shaped by movies, the media, or experiences with the mentally ill. You have no way to know whether someone will be open-minded or not – especially about serious mental illness (SMI) and stigmatized diagnoses like schizophrenia.

You also have to consider the stakes involved.

Does a friend need to know this information? How close do they need to be before you share?

Are you required to provide this information for the sake of honesty, like in a romantic relationship?

Do you need to disclose to receive workplace accommodations?

If you don’t need accommodations, is it still relevant for you to tell people?

Disclosure to friends

Telling my friends about my diagnosis has actually been a positive experience for me.

My diagnosis has become the ultimate test of whether someone is a true friend or not. When I share my diagnosis, and my friend accepts it without judging me, I know they are part of my close inner circle. I can be 100% myself with them.

I do take my time sharing this info, and I usually know when the moment feels right.

Since my recovery, I have never had a friend reject me or have a negative reaction after hearing about my diagnosis.

Disclosure to a romantic partner

I definitely took the gradual route in disclosing to the man who would eventually become my husband. After two months, when I was tired of hiding my medicine, I told him about my antipsychotic use, and he was okay with it.

Over the course of more than a year, I told him about my psychotic breaks and hospitalizations – but I procrastinated on my label of schizophrenia.

I would come to regret it. I finally disclosed two days after my now-husband proposed, and that was obviously stressful. I was so relieved he was okay with it, because otherwise it would have been heartbreaking.

However, my withholding of that information created an unintentional barrier that slowed down our relationship. I also carried the long-term stress of withholding information – stress that turned out to be unnecessary in this case.

Disclosure to former bosses and coworkers

I am now self-employed. But one reason I withheld sharing my blogs and publications on Facebook – blogs and publications I was proud of – is because all my former employers and coworkers are my Facebook friends.

I had never told my employers or coworkers of my illness when I worked at those organizations, as I did not need any accommodations at work. I worried that it would affect my job performance if they knew about my medical history and past experiences before I started working for them. Later, on social media, I worried that professional disclosure could hurt my chances of getting good recommendations in the future.

Coming out on Facebook about my illness, as well as my writing and speaking life, was huge for me because I feared losing my professional connections. I was concerned about acquaintances who might not know me well and judge me due to my diagnosis and illness.

Eventually, however, I reached a point where I was proud enough of myself and what I was doing in life. I decided I would go ahead and share what I was proud of, regardless of how others may react. Not sharing these activities would be hiding who I am and how my life is shaping up post-illness.

LinkedIn was the ultimate challenge, but one I’ve recently tackled and now feel comfortable with.

You may be pleasantly surprised by others' reactions

As people say, nothing’s official until it’s Facebook official. Sharing my diagnosis on Facebook and posting some of my writings felt like jumping off a cliff. However, I was surprised by how many people see me as a "come-from-behind" story.

Even if people don’t know much about mental illness, they view me as someone to cheer for, as someone who has faced major setbacks in life. I wasn’t expecting so many people to relate to my experience, but they did because everyone goes through heartbreak at some point. Many people have their lives derailed for various reasons and have had to start over, even later in life.

I was so worried about how my former employers would react, but they turned out to be some of my greatest supporters, liking and commenting on my posts on both Facebook and LinkedIn.

Your disclosure to others is a privilege for them, not a right

It took me 14 years after my last break to finally share my illness and diagnosis with my connections and the public. My driving motivation is my writing and speaking career, which is public information on Google and is fast becoming my primary occupation. In some ways, I don’t have a choice but to go ahead and promote on social media, so anyone can see my work if they Google me.

As an end result, though, it feels so amazing to have nothing to hide anymore. Many people can relate to me because everyone faces struggles, even if they do not understand mental illness.

I want to stress that what’s right for one person may not be right for another. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy. It depends on your life situation, your relationships, and what feels important to you. You disclose for yourself, not for others, and only when you are ready.

Not everyone necessarily deserves to know this information, and people in your life must earn that level of trust.

The information presented is solely for educational purposes, not as specific advice for the evaluation, management, or treatment of any condition.

The individual(s) who have written and created the content and whose images appear in this article have been paid by Teva Pharmaceuticals for their contributions. This content represents the opinions of the contributor and does not necessarily reflect those of Teva Pharmaceuticals. Similarly, Teva Pharmaceuticals does not review, control, influence, or endorse any content related to the contributor's websites or social media networks. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes and should not be considered medical advice or recommendations. Consult a qualified medical professional for diagnosis and before beginning or changing any treatment regimen.

NPS-ALL-NP-01783 MAY 2026