Dear Dr. Frankie,

When is it safe to share my life-long struggle with depression and use of anti-depressant medication with someone I am dating?

Dear Depressed,

I do not recommend sharing such personal information too early on. On the contrary, waiting too long to tell her may feel to her like you’ve kept a secret from her. My suggestion would be to wait until you’ve dated a couple of months. You may want to work your way up to sharing your history of depression by disclosing other personal information to see how she responds. Disclosing this information too soon may scare her away, especially if she has had previous negative experiences with someone suffering from depression. Let her see first that, despite your struggle with depression, you are a balanced, high-functioning individual.