Should a Mental Health Status Be Revealed before a Wedding?

The Doctors discuss whether it is ever okay to reveal someone else’s mental health diagnosis.

The panel discusses the case of a father who posed a question online asking if he should tell his daughter's future husband about her being diagnosed as a sociopath. According to the post, the father questions whether his daughter has an emotional attachment to the man and actually loves him. The father claims his daughter's future husband does not know about her diagnosis and says his daughter has no plans to tell him.

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So should the father inform the man or should he keep her diagnosis to himself? We asked our studio audience about the story and 81 percent of them say the father should tell the man about his daughter's diagnosis.

Psychotherapist Dr. Judy Ho notes that being labeled a “sociopath“ is not an actual diagnosis and the proper term to use would be an anti-social personality disorder. She explains symptoms of an anti-social personality disorder include: impulsivity, aggression, a lack of morality, using other people as a means to an end, and possibly related substance abuse.

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Despite the daughter's mental health challenges, The father in the story says she leads a seemingly normal and productive life and went to school has friends, and a good job, but is unable to experience emotions or empathy.

Dr. Judy feels the father should not tell the man if she’s not manifesting any of the classic symptoms. She also explains this disorder is hard to treat it but notes it is treatable for some.  Dr. Judy goes on to say that she feels that often times when someone is diagnosed with a mental health disorder that society will become fixated on the stigma associated with the health condition. She stresses the daughter should not be only defined by what her diagnosis might be.