By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – March 10, 2025
A big question I often hear is whether or not someone should disclose that they have ADD/ADHD. While I can’t make that decision for anybody, I do want to talk about the pros and cons and help facilitate your thinking process if you’re contemplating disclosing your ADHD.
This topic actually can relate to disclosing all sorts of conditions, so it’s not really ADHD specific, but that’s our focus here. I haven’t seen anyone address it officially, but I believe we should discuss it and get the word out there… give people some ideas or help them think it through, so that whatever choice they make to disclose or not to disclose is a well thought-out, well-reasoned decision.
To tell or not to tell depends on a number of things. First, it depends on how you feel about yourself overall. Do you feel good about yourself? How do you feel about your ADHD specifically? That is, have you come to a point of acceptance about it, that you understand how ADHD affects your life? It also has to do with the person you’re revealing it to. Some people deserve the truth and others don’t. So, it’s not just about you or ADHD; it’s also about the other person. There is no easy answer.
So, what are the pros? What are the cons? There are a few situations in which I think you should disclose that you have ADHD, but there are also times when you should not disclose, because you can’t get the cat back in the bag once you let it out. Your decision must be well-considered, well-reasoned, well-informed, and with the right person, because not everyone is good at keeping secrets.
It’s not that you should feel bad about having ADHD; in fact, some people find it a gift of sorts. It’s not anything to feel good or bad about; it just is. It’s like how you feel about yourself for being tall or short, blonde or brunette, this or that; it’s just a part of who you are.
If this topic interests you, please listen to my interview with psychiatrist Dr. Ari Tuckman on the subject and hear Dr. Tuckman’s insights on “ADHD: To Tell or Not to Tell. That Is the Question.”