The Benefits of Disclosure

Disclosure involves sharing information with others. It may lead to improvements in mental and physical health. Prior to disclosure, individuals must identify with a health condition. Individuals who identify with a condition are likely to experience pride in their identity. Pride includes: (1) a sense of accomplishment that comes from overcoming challenges associated with their condition and (2) authenticity that includes expressing any part of one’s identity in the face of an imposing world. Honest Open Proud (HOP) was developed to help individuals with stigmatized health conditions disclose their experiences. The aims of HOP are: (1) to help individuals weigh the costs and benefits of disclosing aspects of their health condition, (2) teach ways to disclose, and (3) provide a format for telling one’s story. Multiple randomized controlled trials have demonstrated support for HOP. The potential to adapt HOP for SUD is discussed in this chapter.