Disclosure

Why disclose?

You probably learned long ago that telling people that you have a mental illness can be difficult. The reality is that everyone has their own reasons for disclosing (telling someone about your illness) or not disclosing. As you prepare for college or university, you need to give some thought to how you want to handle information about your illness. No one else can make the decision for you.

You may decide to disclose:

• To help you get the help you need and deserve (e.g., academic accommodations).
• To avoid misunderstandings with your instructors or peers.
• To educate others and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness.
• To reduce the risk of discrimination. Policies are in place to prevent anyone from discriminating against a student on the basis of his/her disability. The Disability Services Office can advocate on your behalf - but only if they know you're there!
• So you can have a plan in place in case of an emergency. It is always harder to disclose when you are in crisis.

On the other hand, there are risks to disclosing:

• People may not understand mental illness. They may have negative stereotypes about people with mental illness, based on their lack of knowledge.
• If someone doesn't understand mental illness, they may discriminate. For example, they may confuse mental illness with a lack of ability.
• Not everyone respects a confidence. They may share the information with others, even if you haven't.

Who should you disclose to?

The one obvious office to disclose to is the Disability Services Office. On a practical level, this office will need to know about your illness if you want to access any kind of academic accommodation. They can help you think through whether you want or need to disclose to any other offices (e.g., Registrar's Office, Student Financial Aid Office). They can also help you decide whether to disclose to your instructors and how best to do that. Talk to the staff in the Disability Services Office as early in the school year as you can - they're there to help. Remember: anything you tell them remains completely confidential.

It is important to trust your instincts when it comes to disclosing. Some students choose to disclose to one or more of their instructors, but not to other students. Others decide to tell their peers as they become trusted friends. Some people choose not to disclose to anyone. You need to determine your own comfort level and trust your instincts.

It is helpful to think through why you are disclosing and what you hope to achieve. This is especially important because you need to be prepared for the response - not everyone will be supportive. Not everyone will respond in the way you hope.

When to disclose

If you are comfortable disclosing to the Disability Services Office, it is best to do this as early in the school year as possible. The office is open year-round, and many offices encourage you to contact them before the school year begins.

If you require academic accommodations, it takes time to gather the necessary documentation and put the arrangements in place. Requesting an accommodation the day before the exam or the assignment due date not only looks bad for you, it may not be possible to arrange on short notice.

Even if you don't think you will need academic accommodations, the disability staff may suggest you put an emergency plan in place, in case you get ill during the year or find that you are not coping as well as you had hoped. While you may never need to use it, it is easier to disclose and plan when you are well, than when you are in crisis.

What to disclose

It's up to you to decide how much you want to disclose. In order to access academic accommodations you simply need to disclose to your instructor that you have a disability. Some students choose to go one step further, and disclose that they have a psychiatric disability. It is generally recommended that you don't provide information about your diagnosis to your instructors.

Once you have registered with the Disability Services Office and provided any documentation required to access academic accommodations, the staff will work with you to develop a letter which you can provide to your instructors. This letter will say:

• You are registered with the Disability Services Office.
• How your disability affects you as a student.
• Specific accommodations you require. (Note: some institutions do not include specific accommodation requests in the letter, and suggest you decide on them one-on-one with each instructor, based on the course set-up.)
• Note: the letter does not include details about your diagnosis.

Important points to remember:

• You don't need to provide information about your illness to anyone other than the Disability Services Office.
• The information you provide to the Disability Services Office is confidential. The office won't share it without your written consent.

How to disclose

Most instructors are very cooperative about accommodating students with disabilities. The following a re some suggestions on how to approach your instructor:

• At the beginning of the semester, make an appointment to meet privately with your instructor during office hours or before or after class.
  
• Introduce yourself and give your instructor the letter from the Disability Services Office.
  
• Explain your situation so that the instructor understands how your disability affects you as a student. Explain what accommodations or strategies you will need to do your best in the classroom, the lab, or elsewhere to meet course requirements. Discuss alternatives if the instructor can't meet your request.
  
• Come to a clear agreement. Before you end the meeting, you and the instructor should have a clear understanding of what he/she is willing to do and what you, with help from the Disability Services Office, will coordinate in the way of accommodations and services.
  
• Thank the instructor. Let the instructor know that you appreciate his/her willingness to work with you and accommodate your disability.
  
• If you feel an instructor has not understood what you explained about your needs, or does not agree that you should receive certain accommodations, talk with the Disability Services Office as soon as possible. They can help to resolve the issue.

© 2004 Canadian Mental Health Association. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be copied or reproduced in any form without written permission of the Canadian Mental Health Association.