Hi so I currently suffer from clinical depression, panic attacks and anxiety attacks since senior year of hs. Im just premed student and I was just afraid how this would affect my experience of getting into and going through medical school. I know medical student go through some form of depression and anxiety but is it frowned upon by the colleges to come into medical school with these illnesses already. Also is there anyone else whose a premed who is suffering from mental illness as well. I feel at times its just so hard going though my courses with such a deliberating issue and I just don't know how any premed student could manage such illnesses and go through the premed track with good grades. Please if anyone can help me out i would very much appreciate it.
Dealing with mental illness as a premed
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Most med students do not experience major depression or an anxiety disorder. A sizeable portion do, but it is not universal. A fair portion of those who do likely didn't develop those issues until medical school. Medical training in general is a major stressor that intensifies as you progress, and it's a common precipitatant for exacerbation or first appearances of mental health issues. I believe it's the most common reason someone drops medical training, though I can't remember where I've read that statistics. For this reason, yes, med schools look at applicants with disclosed mental health issues with a critical eye. So, if you eventually do apply, don't disclose. Prior to applying, regardless of disclosing or not, you should have your mental health issues well sorted with a support network in place
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First, SDN cannot offer medical advice. This sounds like a serious issue you are dealing with and should be discussed in person with a therapist/counselor/psychiatrist. If you are not already seeing one, you should. And as soon as possible. Your school likely has a counseling center that can help and/or give you a referral. You should talk to them about how best to manage your depression and anxiety.
Second, the reason med schools don't want to admit people with uncontrolled depression/anxiety is precisely because med school/residency is very stressful and they want their students to make it through in good time and become successful doctors on the other end. It would be a poor bet for them to admit someone who seems likely to spiral out during training. However, there are plenty of people who have controlled issues who get admitted, but it's precisely that control that will let them be successful, not only in applying, but also in making it through training. And that control has to be developed beforehand. So, refer back to point one and go see a professional who can help you develop the coping skills and perhaps get you on medication that can give you that control.
Thank you
Thank you and I will try to see a counselor when I can before medical school.
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You're welcome, but I would strongly recommend seeing one starting now, and for the long term, not once or twice at a vague point in the future. The coping skills that it sounds like you need take months/years to develop, and if you don't start now, then it could severely hamper your chances of ever getting into med school. You already mentioned that you "don't know how any premed student could manage such illnesses and go through the premed track with good grades" which sounds like your depression/anxiety has already been affecting your grades.
SO... in order to improve your grades and give yourself the best shot at an acceptance, you need to deal with the underlying issue as soon as possible. Get off SDN, open your school's website and search for the number to their counseling center/referral desk. Call them and leave a message. They'll call you back first thing in the morning and you can probably get in sometime this week (if your school's center is anything like mine). Deal with it now. You have to be proactive because no one else can fix this for you.
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I would also refrain from writing about it in your PS and secondaries unless you plan on disclosing.
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If you have been dealing with this since HS you need to get help now. Obviously it's not going to go away! Don't worry about med school until you are well. Go to student services or student health and ask for help.
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You need to approach this process very eyes-open. Mental illness is the #1 reason my school loses students to withdrawal, dismissal or LOA. Med school is a furnace and I've seen it break even healthy students.
Excellent academic performance will always allay concerns about mental health. This coming from someone who has had take anti-depressants twice, and be under a therapist's care at least three-five times in my adult life.
Excellent academic performance will always allay concerns about mental health. This coming from someone who has had take anti-depressants twice, and be under a therapist's care at least three-five times in my adult life.
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Well ****. I wrote about my past struggles with depression in secondary essays, and how it has helped me to grow as a person and become more empathetic and understand the importance of mental health. I definitely made it clear that it was a past issue that I have overcome, but I really hope that doesn't screw me over! I didn't even think about this as a potential red flag
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Well ****. I wrote about my past struggles with depression in secondary essays, and how it has helped me to grow as a person and become more empathetic and understand the importance of mental health. I definitely made it clear that it was a past issue that I have overcome, but I really hope that doesn't screw me over! I didn't even think about this as a potential red flag
It's a red flag but not a deal breaker. I briefly wrote about it in my PS and received IIs at both MD and DO schools. As long as you have the resume and academic record to demonstrate that your depression is and has been under control, you should be fine. But I can't say that as a guarantee, unfortunately.
You should address your anxiety and or other mental health issues before medical school (and before even applying), to be honest. Medical school provokes all sorts of stress, depression, anxiety in people who were previously fine. I am not a doctor and cannot offer medical advice, but perhaps you'd benefit by talking to a counsellor or psychiatrist. Do not address it in you PS, I cannot emphasize that enough. It is your personal health issue, and if you have managed it, it is not the schools business.
I agree with a lot of what people have said here and just want to pop in and say that mental illness DOES NOT mean you're any less qualified than the rest of us. There's nothing "wrong" with you and you shouldn't feel ashamed about it. Tons of successful people at top universities and medical schools have mental health issues, and that's completely okay.
If you want to talk to a counselor, psychiatrist, etc to get help that's great. A lot of people benefit from such services, but I'm not going to sugar coat it and say they'll definitely fix 100% of your problems. If you want to you should talk to a professional you definitely should, but don't feel like there's something wrong with you if they aren't able to help you.
If you're afraid of going through official channels that's okay. If you can't find a close friend you can talk to that's okay too. Try going online (there PLENTY of support groups and people that you can anonymously talk to). I would suggest starting out with Tumblr and seeking out others who are going through similar struggles. Trust me, there are so many people with med school related Tumblrs on there (including med students, residents, etc.) who would love to talk to you and help you. If you're artistically inclined, Rebecca Sugar (creator of Steven Universe) is releasing a really good set of videos this month to help people cope with life through artistic expression.
If you can develop good coping mechanisms before med school, you'll be at an advantage compared to most people. Just remember that it's okay to feel scared, stressed out, or depressed and that you shouldn't feel ashamed about anything. You can still go to medical school if you want to (don't force yourself). I'm not going to lie, you might have to work harder than others and that's fine. Don't focus on what they're doing, focus on yourself.
TLDR: Having a mental illness does not mean you cannot be a good doctor.
If you want to talk to a counselor, psychiatrist, etc to get help that's great. A lot of people benefit from such services, but I'm not going to sugar coat it and say they'll definitely fix 100% of your problems. If you want to you should talk to a professional you definitely should, but don't feel like there's something wrong with you if they aren't able to help you.
If you're afraid of going through official channels that's okay. If you can't find a close friend you can talk to that's okay too. Try going online (there PLENTY of support groups and people that you can anonymously talk to). I would suggest starting out with Tumblr and seeking out others who are going through similar struggles. Trust me, there are so many people with med school related Tumblrs on there (including med students, residents, etc.) who would love to talk to you and help you. If you're artistically inclined, Rebecca Sugar (creator of Steven Universe) is releasing a really good set of videos this month to help people cope with life through artistic expression.
If you can develop good coping mechanisms before med school, you'll be at an advantage compared to most people. Just remember that it's okay to feel scared, stressed out, or depressed and that you shouldn't feel ashamed about anything. You can still go to medical school if you want to (don't force yourself). I'm not going to lie, you might have to work harder than others and that's fine. Don't focus on what they're doing, focus on yourself.
TLDR: Having a mental illness does not mean you cannot be a good doctor.
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There's a lot of fantastic advice on this thread so I won't repeat it. I just wanted to pop in and tell you that I and several of my classmates dealt with some super serious mental illness before medical school, and we're all here now and doing pretty well! When you develop the coping skills to manage it and get any other needed treatment, it shrinks down to size a bit and doesn't seem like such an overwhelming thing. I would go so far as to say I'm handling medical school better than a lot of my "healthy" peers because I was forced to learn how to take excellent care of myself and handle adversity!
And, as my dad once famously said, "WAGS - We All Got Sh**". Don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it. And don't worry about how it will be viewed or anything like that. You don't have to disclose it as a med school applicant, and in my experience, when you're feeling better those worries seem to work themselves out anyway.
And, as my dad once famously said, "WAGS - We All Got Sh**".
Don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it. And don't worry about how it will be viewed or anything like that. You don't have to disclose it as a med school applicant, and in my experience, when you're feeling better those worries seem to work themselves out anyway.
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Depression and anxiety are common symptoms of burn out.. everyone is susceptible to it. The key is to manage yourself before it reaches that point.. give yourself time to recharge. Once a mental illness actually manifests itself it could take months to years before you recover, and even then you will always be at a greater risk for another episode (kindling effect). Take care of yourself now and it will pay off later.
