We have already looked at some of the ways that a heightened sensitivity to maintain secrecy about your problems can lead to self-imprisonment, to blocks that stand in the way of positive change (see Chapter 1). Most of the information you may want kept secret may not really be as damaging as you first were inclined to think. Much depends on how _you_ respond to information that might be released about you. Let's look at an example. A little more than a year ago, George Malcolm became seriously depressed. He was forced to resign from his job, and then he received disability income for ten months. During this time he entered therapy. His experience helped him to understand a number of important things about himself that he had ignored in the past. He discovered that he had felt very unsatisfied in his previous job; he had buried his frustrations and had suppressed the anger he felt at being trapped in a situation he disliked. It was a situation he felt he had no control over because of his concern for his and his family's financial security. He was also worried about his mother, who would probably have to be admitted to a nursing home in the near future. Her situation was an added reason for George's financial worry. He also came to realize that his marriage was suffering because of his insistence that his wife not work. She, on the other hand, felt overcontrolled by her husband: she felt that he stood in the way of her personal growth. As a result of his increased awareness, George came to see that losing his former job was really a blessing in disguise. His marriage began to improve when George's depression for the {260} first time put him in a _dependent_ position; he needed his wife's emotional support, and she, in turn, began to see him as a _person_, with weaknesses of his own, and not as she had idealized him. George's depression allowed him to understand and appreciate his wife's previously frustrated sense of initiative. He now encouraged her to do what she had long wanted to do, to develop a career. Because George received disability during his depression, his insurance company had information about him on file. When George was interviewed for a new job a year after he became depressed, he was asked at the interview if he had been ill during the preceding year, when he had not worked. George decided to be truthful and said that he had become depressed and that as a result of the experience had learned much about himself. In particular, he had learned what kind of work really interested him and gave him a sense of satisfaction. Although it had been a difficult period, George said that he felt he had gained a great deal from the experience. George's prospective employer was impressed by George's honesty and evident sincerity. George got the job--in large part because of the attitude he took toward his depression. WHAT LAWS PROTECT CONFIDENTIALITY?