Sandra Petronio, a communication professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis agrees with Altman that revealing this private information might strengthen your relationships with these significant people in your life. The disclosure would also give them a chance to offer you comfort and perhaps help you figure out a course of action to deal with this disturbing diagnosis. However, disclosing your medical condition could stress your relationships if itturns out that people can’t handle your scary and potentially embarrassing news, or if they carelessly blab about it to others. And even if people you confide in respond well, sharing confidential information always reduces your privacy.