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Should I make my roommate aware of my depression, social anxiety, and odd behaviors caused by medication?

Part of me feels like it's my business and that I shouldn't have to tell them extremely personal things but I know the medication causes my eating habits to be extremely weird, mood swings, and on occasions, twitching. I feel that I would appreciate having some sort of warning if my roommate had issues that could affect behavior but I realize that my thoughts are not universal. What would be the proper action to take? #depression #dorms #anxiety-disorders #personal-development

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Jenn’s Answer

Hi Carolyn,
This is really a personal decision, and there's no one best course of action. First, ask yourself: do you want to mention something to your roommate? If you'd prefer to keep it private, then keep it private - you are under no obligation to tell your roommate anything.
If you do want to tell your roommate something, then it's a matter of how open you want to be. Maybe you don't want to mention your eating habits, but you do want to mention the twitching. That's fine! Maybe you want to mention the mood swings, but don't want to mention medication. That's fine too (you can say that you sometimes have mood swings because of a medical condition that you're taking care of). Maybe you want to mention your social anxiety generally ("I get overwhelmed in large groups") but don't want to mention medication or a medical condition. That is also fine.
I'd think about what you want the outcome of disclosure to be for you - do you want your roommate to be more understanding of your eating habits, or limit guests to help minimize your social anxiety? Figuring that out can help guide you in what to say.
Thank you comment icon Great answers Jenn! Yes this is a tough decision. Marcus Hunt
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Timothy’s Answer

I would say that you should only tell them if it becomes an issue for them or causes issues between you two. Don't make them expect something is going to happen, just apologize when it does.
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Simeon’s Answer

I think it's appropriate to share some version of the story considering it'll likely help smooth over bumps ahead of time. That being said, you don't have to share all the details and the whys. You can focus on communicating the parts of your life that are most likely to affect them directly.
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Savannah’s Answer

Hi! this depends on if you want to and if you can trust them. If you trust them and you know they wont say anything then it would be good to say something to them but if you know they will tell someone else then i wouldn't. If you know you have some side effects nd they should know and tell them but them its really personal and you didn't want to tell them but you know you should. Just communicate as much as you want but you of course don't have to tell them if you don't want to. Hopes this helps!
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Theodore’s Answer

I agree, when it becomes a problem speak about it. If you feel it’s going to cause concern then you might want to give them a heads up.
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