Great thread.
I resonate with this/you.
I find myself thinking about this thread often when away from the forum.

A niece visited this afternoon. She'd wanted to share about her husband's severe anxiety and his mild depression. She'd also talked about her anxiety and PTSD. They both prefer to keep these challenges a "secret."

A niece ( a daughter of a different sibling) visited two weeks ago and wanted to talk about her severe anxiety, her depression, her suicidality. She'd quietly admitted herself to a psych hospital 4 hours from home two weeks earlier. She'd like to keep this all a "secret."

These nieces are good friends with one another and spend time together, yet are using their masks with one another, when they'd likely feel understood -- and possibly supported -- if they'd dared to share a little more with one another.

There's a lot of anxiety and depression throughout the family and everyone thinks they are hiding these challenges from one another. This can eventually lead to avoidance/isolation and further misunderstandings. I think everyone would be much better off sharing with one another, getting rid of the sense of shame and other negative feelings which lead people to keeping these secrets from one another. Perhaps they'd feel understood and supported?

*Sigh*


WC