Advice on sharing mental health experiences on Facebook. First, thank you for all of the questions I receive. I still have not found the perfect way to answer them all, but I can let you know I try to write as many blogs that cover the most commonly asked questions. I will do another FB Q&A soon. Here is one I get a lot:
Julie, how do you feel about sharing your mental health history on Facebook when you know that people you work with will see your posts?
Here is how I balance honesty without creating a situation where someone might have concerns about working with me.
1. I post after I have experienced a tough mood swing. I do not post in the middle. This is when I can be too emotional and when my posts might be unreasonable. What does this mean? It means that depression or mania are my constant companions, but my posts are usually a few days past the experience. If you see me writing about a specific symptom, please know it is not full blown when you read about it. I am in the process of getting better and no one has to worry about me. I stay away from Facebook if I am really sick. I have family, friends and a health care team for support.
2. I ALWAYS post what I am doing to get better. This is part of my management plan. Helping others helps me stay stable.
3. I never and I do mean never share the names of anyone I work with, talk to or care about who have hurt me. I do not do this passive aggressively either where I say something that is cryptic – nor do I humiliate or go after someone publicly who steals from me.
4. Everyone knows I have bipolar disorder because I am not embarrassed about having bipolar disorder. It is my job to never let my illness get in the way of my work. This is not always possible. Those who work closely with me have seen me fall apart many times, but people will never see this online.
5. Social media is permanent. I work with many organizations who absolutely DO look at what a potential collaborator or employee posts on Facebook. What you write affects who hires you.
Even if you have an account set to private or feel you are safe on a group that is closed, you are not. Everything you write can be seen. If work is important to you…if you want future friends and family members to see the reality of your life, it is fine to be honest, but if you want to be a professional writer, speaker, coach or hold any position that is in the public eye, people definitely look to Facebook to see what is going on in your private life. I believe that being honest while at the same time talking about what you are doing to get better is the answer.
