How can I keep my diagnosis secret from my school?

Post Reply New Topic

I'm going to an adult grad program. All they know about me is that I have anxiety, possible Lyme's disease and an IEP. They keep pushing me to show them old paperwork. Since I'm now an adult I can choose to withhold it. I live in BC. Is there any way they can discover my diagnosis? I want to keep it secret because it's very misleading. They'll probably infantilize me and only focus on that diagnosis if they find out. I'd rather have a fresh start and let them discover what the real issue is without any labels clouding their judgment.

Yeah you can keep it a secret if you wish

Of course you don't have to reveal your diagnosis.

What does the "adult grad" program lead to? Some kind of certificate?

Do not reveal anything to them that you do not wish to. I kept my HFA a secret from my employers because it did not impair me from doing my job. As far as I'm concerned, people should only share their diagnosis if it is absolutely needed or if they wish to disclose it to a loved one whom they really trust.

Noone has any right to get to your medical information without your express permission (well, the practitioners treating you are the exeption, but they can not tell anyone).

So keeping your diagnosis a secret is simply a matter of keeping your mouth shut about it. People might have suspicions, but they can never be sure unless you tell them

They probably want paperwork so that if you ask for accommodations or have any problem related to your health, their a**es are covered.

My opinion is that unless you're going to ask for official accommodations there's no reason to casually tell anyone in your professional life personal things like that. Even when you just tell a friend, the information gets around. They can't get your records, but it's legal to share word of mouth gossip about other people's health information. So if you don't talk about it, no one will know.

If anyone brings it up again I would say "It's not a big deal" or "I'd rather not go into it."

Not sure how it works in Canada, but in the U.S., you cannot be compelled to reveal your diagnosis as an adult -- however, if you WANT the accommodations you are entitled to under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) you are REQUIRED to disclose your special needs.

FWIW, I didn't disclose that I'm an Aspie in college or grad school but chose to do so at work.