Should I keep my knowledge of someone else's traumatic experience a secret when people ask questions ?
16 Answers
Last Updated: 11/30/2020 at 6:12pm
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Alex DS Ellis, MA, LMFT
Marriage & Family Therapist
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I don't think so. As long as you're sure the two people aren't related and you keep the anonymity, you can give examples to explain a few stuff
That depends on the situation and the person whose secret it is originally. If you think that the person will come out of it if a few people then you should ask the person if you share their story with others or not, sharing their story without their consent isn't the right way.
Anonymous
April 8th, 2015 10:59pm
If it's just friends, I say yes. It's not their place to know; if the person wanted them to know they would told them, you know bc they trusted you and you telling would break that trust. If it's serious, never question breaking the trust to tell an offical or someone that can help.
Anonymous
July 20th, 2015 3:27pm
Yes. That is not your information to share. If that person confided in you about their experiences, and have not told others yet, then it is their choice, not yours. They trusted you to talk to, so you should keep their information to yourself.
If it's something serious and someone (like an adult or the authorities) needs to know then definitely tell. otherwise it's not your secret to tellâ¤
I always feel the best way to approach an issue like this is to consider what your answer would be if the situation were reversed. What if this other person were asking this question... what would your answer be? Personally, if someone were to tell others about my experiences that I have confided in them I would feel violated, certainly I would never trust them again. My advice is if someone tells you a secret it is still their secret, and it's up to them who it gets told to.
Anonymous
April 11th, 2015 10:29pm
I think that we can learn from others' traumatic experience and on the basis of this knowledge we can help others who are suffering fro the same problem. However, this doesn't mean that we reveal who is the person exactly because it is somehing secret that can cause harm to that person. All people's experience should be kept confidential.
it really depends on whether youve talked to them first, some people hate others sharing stuff about them, others dont mind as much.
Anonymous
June 5th, 2015 12:07pm
Should I keep my knowledge of someone else's traumatic experience a secret when people ask questions ?Should I keep my knowledge of someone else's traumatic experience a secret when people ask questions ?
I was bullied a couple of times early in primary school, this made me think a lot and keep to myself in class adn then i'd keep tucked away during lunch time. Eventually I found people jsut like me, and together we made mroe friends and today im as happy as can be. time changes a lot, and good things can be just around the corner
Unless that someone else tells you otherwise, it's best to not reveal information on their traumatic experience. If someone asks if something's going on with them, you can say "They're going through some tough times right now, but I'm not them and I don't want to speak for them or give information that they don't want shared."
If you were asked to keep secrecy then you should do so. However, if you know for a fact or fear that someone is in a position to hurt themselves or others you should try to confide that to somebody that can get them the help they need! But if someone is just confiding a secret in you in order to have someone to turn to and to talk to, then you should honor that and keep it as that. A secret.
Yes, absolutely. If you were told this information, you should assume it was told to you in confidence, and that if anybody needs to tell people about this, it should be the person who this happened to. The only time I would think that you could tell people is if you think the original person is at risk of harming themself because of the incident. In that case, I think the person's well being is more important than the confidentiality of the issue.
Unless it is a life threatening situation you have no business sharing knowledge about someone else.
Anonymous
July 18th, 2018 9:05am
If it's your friends, then, of course, it should, and if it's someone else's, it's up to you, I read the article https://oceanessay.com/pay-for-essay/ on a similar topic, the author of this article believes that this should not be done.
Anonymous
November 30th, 2020 6:12pm
Yes, definitely. Unless you believe that person is in risk, and you are unable to asist that person along, It's best to uphold the trust and privacy that person entrusted you with. It must have not been easy for that person to share his knowledge of his experiences with you, and would not like to know, mostly, if you are talking to other people about it without his permission. That person is entitled to secrecy, and so are you. If you feel uncomfortable and troubled about it, you should either talk to the person themselves. Now, you must share the knowledge, if you feel that person is at risk, with the appropriate companies.
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