How does this conversation start / flow / end? (Character discussing his chronic illness)

[de_ruh]

Setting: Canada, relatively current time - random ages assigned compared with a few back story facts actually makes it a few years from now, though the exact year isn't important

Research Done: I've looked for articles, youtube clips, etc. on "telling a friend about illness" "talking about illness" "talking about chronic illness" "a friend's

Comments

[de_ruh]

Thanks for the reply!
I've read many things on that website before, including that article and they're great. In fact, they've given me ideas as to how to make an RL friend of mine understand my own PTSD. These don't really help for writing this particular piece of my story, though, because the character who will be explaining things isn't nearly as familiar with his own condition as the author of that website is. It's new to him.

[de_ruh]

Thanks, quadratur. I've also had similar experiences discussing mental health with others (and generally avoid it), as I have PTSD and go though periods of depression myself, but I'm hesitant to apply my own experiences to my MC's situation, since the immediate concern at this point in the story line is his physical illness.

I've definitely thought about how the boss character will be thinking about how to react to this information as the boss versus as the friend, but the other friend / the boss' wife is only there as a friend, and I've written her as a rather nosy person. I want them both to be understanding (I'm definitely trying to make a positive statement about suffering mental health issues by the time I'm done with this), but I'm not sure how reserved these characters need to be about asking questions.

[de_ruh]

This is all very true, but what I'm struggling with is how does this conversation start. I'd like the friends visiting to be asking questions. The female friend / wife of the boss is a rather nosy person by nature, and I've currently got her starting the conversation and prompting it along at points but it all feel so unnatural and clumsy.

[de_ruh]

Thanks! A few of your points are things I hadn't thought of yet :)
The family history thing could actually really stir up some (useful/realistic) tension in the conversation, since the MC was adopted and the friend characters don't know that. That fact has certainly played an important role in dialogue scenes leading up to this point... *wonders off pondering*