Self-Disclosing: Do you tell others about autism?

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Do you disclose your autism to others?
Yes 67%  67%  [ 26 ]
No 33%  33%  [ 13 ]
Total votes : 39

Dethl
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23 Mar 2014, 7:24 pm

Y/N?

I heard my pastor speak (quite some time ago) about how intimacy builds friendships, trust, etc. And secrets or withholding yourself from others builds weak friendships...



Ann2011
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23 Mar 2014, 7:31 pm

Not anymore. I used to but it doesn't seem to work out well.


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Waterfalls
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23 Mar 2014, 7:52 pm

Rarely, and only if there's a reason to.



League_Girl
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23 Mar 2014, 8:07 pm

No.


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coffeebean
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23 Mar 2014, 8:12 pm

I don't give people weapons to use against me, and both mental health and Asperger's are surrounded by stereotypes and stigma. I tend not to disclose.

Maintaining some privacy and being selective about what you disclose and when is the smartest option. There are many other things to talk about.



MjrMajorMajor
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23 Mar 2014, 8:15 pm

On occasion, when I feel it serves some purpose.



elizabethangeles
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23 Mar 2014, 8:20 pm

Rarely. People don't believe me when I tell them, so I don't tell them anymore.


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The_Walrus
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23 Mar 2014, 8:53 pm

I don't tell people very often. I just talk about it casually, as if it is something we've already established.



Shield
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23 Mar 2014, 9:15 pm

Some people I tell and others I don't. There are some people I don't feel need to know/it's none of their business. Other people I meet I feel like they'll judge me -or it'll be a long conversation if I tell them.
There are others are safe or I spend a lot of time with and so they'll probably find out sooner or later.



pleasekillme
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23 Mar 2014, 9:18 pm

I tell people whom I think ought to know, or people I feel close enough to tell. That said, I have no shame about it. My parents tell just about everybody they know about my recent diagnosis, and it doesn't bother me.



Last edited by pleasekillme on 23 Mar 2014, 10:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Lumi
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23 Mar 2014, 10:01 pm

Self does not need to, as others ask my mother what I have.


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23 Mar 2014, 10:05 pm

I don't tell just anyone especially since I plan to do my diagnosis in this year yet, actually only my closest family members know, which are my mother, father and brother (as they have to deal with me every day).


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yournamehere
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23 Mar 2014, 10:36 pm

There is no point telling someone something they do not understand. It makes problems. My own mother doesn't even consider wanting to believe. My whole life she tells me I don't need to see anyone, and it's all in my head. It is something she can explain away. People don't believe me when I tell them anyways. If your shoes are untied, your pants on bacwards with a pocket hanging out your zipper, plad shirt, glasses 3 feet thick, and you talk with a studder, and a whisp, then these NT's will believe you have autism or asp burgers. From dominoes pizza. Other than that, just forget about it. Your preacher is wrong. Telling others helped me loose my last 2 jobs. I say something to my friends in perfect confidence, and they just make fun of me, and tell me I'm stupid because I'm wrong. Just like my mother.



Bodyles
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23 Mar 2014, 11:05 pm

Generally I tell people if it comes up.
Part of my tendecy to overshare constantly.
It comes up relatively often.
Although that's not deliberate on my part, it's just that it affects a lot of aspects of my life & people make comments or as questions and so I try to explain



Lillikoi
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23 Mar 2014, 11:38 pm

Not usually, unless that other person is an aspie or they know someone else on the spectrum.


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Yayoi
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24 Mar 2014, 1:16 am

No. From my experience, once you tell someone about your diagnosis, they stop seeing you for who you are and judge you based on stereotypes of the condition, and patronise you.


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