Have you ever told a friend?

Have you ever told a friend about your depression?

How did the conversation start? What did you actually say? And how did they react?

When I say "friend" I don't necessarily mean a family member, but just someone you've known for a time. It's something I dread but something I wish I could change about myself, all the same. I'd just be interested if any of you have had some experience with this.

Hi Cinossaur,
I told some of my friends about my depression. In general I did it within a broader framework (for example, a chat about our lives lately to catch up, etc)
I was direct and frank saying that I have a severe depression.
In my case, only those who had been depressed or under other mental health condition could understand me and be supportive.
The others reacted in ways that were not useful for me, and in some cases I had to take some distance from them.
But this does not have to happen to you necessarily. It is just my experience.
Hope this is useful somehow.
I send you a hug

Thanks, it is useful.

Did you know that some of your friends had depression or another mental illness before you told them or did they open up after you did?

No, I did not know! I even realized that one of my nieces had been in treatment for depression.

I told the only close friend I've had in the past few years about my depressive tendencies. Unfortunately, opening up about those things turned out to be not a great idea - it did not evoke sympathy to the degree I was expecting and probably led to the deterioration of our friendship.
What I learned was, those feelings should only be shared with those who love you unconditionally - that is, if you are lucky enough to find someone like that.