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- Thread starter stugots
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Sounds like you have schizophrenia/psychotic PTSD. If that is the case, here are some points I would like to express...
- it doesn't matter how "normal" you were before the "trigger" occurred... what you have to realize is that if its released once, subsequent psychotic episodes are that much easier to come by - you will never be the same "typical overachiever" again, irregardless of your personal progress
- if you don't want to lie, you will have to talk about the trauma, or at least how it affected you. Imo you should talk about it with sincerity and seriousness (no, "haha it's funny when I think back on it" stuff), but without asking for pity. State it clearly, and move on
- yes, if you follow my advice, some schools will probably label you with a "flag" or just dump you altogether.. your situation is like the Iraq war, there is no solution that will make you completely happy
- it doesn't matter how "normal" you were before the "trigger" occurred... what you have to realize is that if its released once, subsequent psychotic episodes are that much easier to come by - you will never be the same "typical overachiever" again, irregardless of your personal progress
- if you don't want to lie, you will have to talk about the trauma, or at least how it affected you. Imo you should talk about it with sincerity and seriousness (no, "haha it's funny when I think back on it" stuff), but without asking for pity. State it clearly, and move on
- yes, if you follow my advice, some schools will probably label you with a "flag" or just dump you altogether.. your situation is like the Iraq war, there is no solution that will make you completely happy
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i had a afew difficult semesters due to panic attacks and anxiety. as long as your grades show you battled back from the dark times no adcom will hold it against you. they may even see it as a sign of maturity. that being said i had a few years of 4.0 after my difficult time. But yes, i brought it up in the interview and they responded well to it.
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I agree with all that this post says and in addition, you can say how much this event has made you want to study medicine even more, because you have experienced empathy as a patient and know what it is like to be scared and sick and think it will make you an even better doctor or something like that. I mean, I'm not sure how to eloquently put it, but I'm sure there is a spin like that which you can use to show you value patient care, and understand what it is to be in the place of the patient and feel this experience has strengthened you as a whole and for your potential role as a physician. Don't joke about it, and don't hide it if asked. Just state it clearly and seriously, and move on.
good luck to you.
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This is very good, by the way, and is important. You will not be able to convince the adcom that you are a stable individual who will not suddenly relapse to whatever state you were in before, WITHOUT a few years of hard work and good grades.
Like someone else mentioned, even then, there will be schools that will not be willing to give you a chance and you just have to forget that and move on. Other schools will love you. A red flag at one school is not a red flag at every school, but apply widely.
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Hey aripip,
First of all, congratulations on having made it this far in your recovery. May you continue to heal over the next few years. 😍
As for "self-disclosure," I pretty much agree with what everyone else here has said. Regarding the blemishes on your record, you are almost certainly going to have to be able to comment on what happened in that time. In fact, I hate to say this, but if you want ad comms to give your early scholastic records a pass, you will probably need to put a sentence or two into your personal statement mentioning the source of the trauma (in the fewest words possible and as dispassionately as possible). This is not because they are nosy, cruel people, but because they honestly can't knw that there were extenuating circumstances unless you tell them so. Then, you can simply state that as a result of this trauma you had a "difficult time" for a little while afterward. Likewise in interviews, have a pre-prepared sentence about what happened if you are asked, but then make it clear that you wish to move on from what happened in the past to talk about the person you are today.
I would not recommend fully disclosing the PTSD, etc. Simply saying, "I had a very difficult time for a few years after that event, which is reflected in my transcript," is enough. No one has to know about the psychosis, PTSD, or anything else unless you tell them. Med school ad comms do not have access to your personal medical records. You can pick and chose what to reveal and what not to. I am inclined to think that revealing the source of the trauma is necessary to explain your record. I am also inclined to think that the precise psychological effects of that trauma are no one else's business but yours.
All of that having been said, I realize that you do not want to be so public about what happened. It's a tough situation, and I'm truly very sorry for you. 🙁 But I honestly believe that telling them the source of the trauma in a few, spare words will allow them to give you a pass on a transcript that would otherwise be very eyebrow raising. The diagnosis of PTSD, however, need never be mentioned.
Remeber, too, that gaining the ability to talk about what happened in a dignified and composed manner can also constitute a very important step in your recovery. In fact, I am inclined to believe that the ability to do so will relect a certain psychological "readiness" on your part to take the new challenges that life will bring. Certainly, it will reflect tremendous strength and courage on your part. Ad comms will see that and, I believe, reward you for it.
As for the issue that one poster brought up regarding psychotic episodes, I certainly do not know your situation or where you are right now in terms of your recovery. I must assume that you're doing fairly well, however, or you wouldn't be posting now. Let me just say that I hope you will be very honest with yourself in appraising the liklihood of continued psychotic episodes as you enter the practice of medicine. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that you will see many, many terrible things as you go through your training. Even if you wish to do Family Practice, you will still have to spend time in the ED, NICU, and many other places where you will be exposed to terrible human suffering. Please be sure that you are psychologically ready for all of this before you walk down the medical path. The lives of other people will be in your hands, OP, and you owe it to them to be certain that you are in a psychological place where can handle the responsibility.
Good luck, OP. I hope you do well!
First of all, congratulations on having made it this far in your recovery. May you continue to heal over the next few years. 😍
As for "self-disclosure," I pretty much agree with what everyone else here has said. Regarding the blemishes on your record, you are almost certainly going to have to be able to comment on what happened in that time. In fact, I hate to say this, but if you want ad comms to give your early scholastic records a pass, you will probably need to put a sentence or two into your personal statement mentioning the source of the trauma (in the fewest words possible and as dispassionately as possible). This is not because they are nosy, cruel people, but because they honestly can't knw that there were extenuating circumstances unless you tell them so. Then, you can simply state that as a result of this trauma you had a "difficult time" for a little while afterward. Likewise in interviews, have a pre-prepared sentence about what happened if you are asked, but then make it clear that you wish to move on from what happened in the past to talk about the person you are today.
I would not recommend fully disclosing the PTSD, etc. Simply saying, "I had a very difficult time for a few years after that event, which is reflected in my transcript," is enough. No one has to know about the psychosis, PTSD, or anything else unless you tell them. Med school ad comms do not have access to your personal medical records. You can pick and chose what to reveal and what not to. I am inclined to think that revealing the source of the trauma is necessary to explain your record. I am also inclined to think that the precise psychological effects of that trauma are no one else's business but yours.
All of that having been said, I realize that you do not want to be so public about what happened. It's a tough situation, and I'm truly very sorry for you. 🙁 But I honestly believe that telling them the source of the trauma in a few, spare words will allow them to give you a pass on a transcript that would otherwise be very eyebrow raising. The diagnosis of PTSD, however, need never be mentioned.
Remeber, too, that gaining the ability to talk about what happened in a dignified and composed manner can also constitute a very important step in your recovery. In fact, I am inclined to believe that the ability to do so will relect a certain psychological "readiness" on your part to take the new challenges that life will bring. Certainly, it will reflect tremendous strength and courage on your part. Ad comms will see that and, I believe, reward you for it.
As for the issue that one poster brought up regarding psychotic episodes, I certainly do not know your situation or where you are right now in terms of your recovery. I must assume that you're doing fairly well, however, or you wouldn't be posting now. Let me just say that I hope you will be very honest with yourself in appraising the liklihood of continued psychotic episodes as you enter the practice of medicine. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that you will see many, many terrible things as you go through your training. Even if you wish to do Family Practice, you will still have to spend time in the ED, NICU, and many other places where you will be exposed to terrible human suffering. Please be sure that you are psychologically ready for all of this before you walk down the medical path. The lives of other people will be in your hands, OP, and you owe it to them to be certain that you are in a psychological place where can handle the responsibility.
Good luck, OP. I hope you do well!
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Hey aripip,
First of all, congratulations on having made it this far in your recovery. May you continue to heal over the next few years. 😍
As for "self-disclosure," I pretty much agree with what everyone else here has said. Regarding the blemishes on your record, you are almost certainly going to have to be able to comment on what happened in that time. In fact, I hate to say this, but if you want ad comms to give your early scholastic records a pass, you will probably need to put a sentence or two into your personal statement mentioning the source of the trauma (in the fewest words possible and as dispassionately as possible). This is not because they are nosy, cruel people, but because they honestly can't knw that there were extenuating circumstances unless you tell them so. Then, you can simply state that as a result of this trauma you had a "difficult time" for a little while afterward. Likewise in interviews, have a pre-prepared sentence about what happened if you are asked, but then make it clear that you wish to move on from what happened in the past to talk about the person you are today.
I would not recommend fully disclosing the PTSD, etc. Simply saying, "I had a very difficult time for a few years after that event, which is reflected in my transcript," is enough. No one has to know about the psychosis, PTSD, or anything else unless you tell them. Med school ad comms do not have access to your personal medical records. You can pick and chose what to reveal and what not to. I am inclined to think that revealing the source of the trauma is necessary to explain your record. I am also inclined to think that the precise psychological effects of that trauma are no one else's business but yours.
All of that having been said, I realize that you do not want to be so public about what happened. It's a tough situation, and I'm truly very sorry for you. 🙁 But I honestly believe that telling them the source of the trauma in a few, spare words will allow them to give you a pass on a transcript that would otherwise be very eyebrow raising. The diagnosis of PTSD, however, need never be mentioned.
Remeber, too, that gaining the ability to talk about what happened in a dignified and composed manner can also constitute a very important step in your recovery. In fact, I am inclined to believe that the ability to do so will relect a certain psychological "readiness" on your part to take the new challenges that life will bring. Certainly, it will reflect tremendous strength and courage on your part. Ad comms will see that and, I believe, reward you for it.
As for the issue that one poster brought up regarding psychotic episodes, I certainly do not know your situation or where you are right now in terms of your recovery. I must assume that you're doing fairly well, however, or you wouldn't be posting now. Let me just say that I hope you will be very honest with yourself in appraising the liklihood of continued psychotic episodes as you enter the practice of medicine. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that you will see many, many terrible things as you go through your training. Even if you wish to do Family Practice, you will still have to spend time in the ED, NICU, and many other places where you will be exposed to terrible human suffering. Please be sure that you are psychologically ready for all of this before you walk down the medical path. The lives of other people will be in your hands, OP, and you owe it to them to be certain that you are in a psychological place where can handle the responsibility.
Good luck, OP. I hope you do well!
Wonderful advice, BellyDancingDoc. Ditto.
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Agreed. Don't tell them the details. A lot of people suffered from depression at some point, and they will likely jump to the conclusion that that is what it was. To be honest, that would count as less of a red flag against you as PTSD/psychosis, most likely.
I've actually seen many people suffer in admissions because of admitting to a mental disorder, sadly. This isn't to say you should hide it, because you can't, really, and besides it's part of you, but you can portray it in a way that reflects best on you, which is: 1) not giving specifics, 2) maybe, if you feel like revealing the source of the problem would make them more sympathetic, revealing that, but not necessarily -- whatever you feel comfortable with.
Not giving specifics is key, though. The more you dwell on something, the bigger the deal it seems like it still is to you. A lot of people had terrible first years for worse reasons -- they shouldn't mind much so long as you don't raise additional red flags by going into it in depth.
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As someone who suffered from clinical depression in college that severely impacted my academics, I know what it is to be in this position.
As stated before, you have to mention it in you application. You cannot ignore it. You don't have to mention specifics ( I didn't), but state it in such a way that cannot be overlooked by adcoms.
There was only one interviewer who asked specifically, in detail, about what happened. I was candid with her because I was familiar with her. It was clear that she needed more information to be a good advocate for me when the committee met. It was very hard for me to discuss, but I was honest and straightforward.
I have since been accepted to medical school.
You don't have to spell it out and divulge every detail, but make it clear the level of difficulty you faced in school due to your situational circumstances.
Good luck and all the best
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As unfortunate as it is, there is definitely a stigma about mental illness. I very much empathize with you as I have had my own experiences both with myself and with friends of mine. It is really difficult and people do not understand it. They look down on you because of it. I view mental illness the same as I view any other disease. If you had cancer and had medical withdrawals because of it, you would not have to worry about how people would view you. Somehow mental illness equates to personal faults and character flaws. If you overcome mental illness, you are still considered to be "damaged goods" and no one will ever view you the same. But, if you overcome cancer then you are brave and a fighter and people admire you for it. It makes no sense to me, but that is the way it is. As for your situation, this is my advice: First of all, "fairly" recovered is not good enough. Wait until you are strong enough before you attempt medical school. You do not want to get in over your head because you were not ready. Give yourself enough time to heal. When you apply, I would look at DO schools. IMO, they tend to be more forgiving than MD schools for people with lots of withdrawals and non-traditional pasts. (Not that MD schools don't, this has just been my experience.) The most important thing that you can do is to prove that you are better. Actions truly speak louder than words. If you can take more classes, work on ECs, etc and do well in everything and balance it without falling apart, then you will demonstrate that you are capable of going to medical school. There are a lot of people who have Ws or other things on their record that are not great. I started college several times before sticking with it and I have 28 Ws on my transcripts. But, they were in the past and I proved that I was able to go to school and that I had what it took to become a doctor. I would not be totally honest in your PS or an interview. A history of psychoses will definitely cause some real concern for the schools. I wouldn't lie either. I would just not be entirely forthcoming. Your experiences do sound a lot like schizophrenia, and I will say that you have a VERY long road ahead of you. Schizophrenia is a very difficult thing to overcome. Many people are never able to have normal live who suffer from it. Whether or not you are schizophrenic, mental illness is hard to move beyond. I hope that you are able to succeed. Feel free to IM me or PM if you want to talk. My heart is with you on your journey. Good luck! 🙂 😍
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i have a slightly similar situation in that i went through some difficult things in college that definitely impacted my grades and now im trying to show med schools that i would be a great doctor even though my grades are rather poor. thankfully i didnt really suffer from depression other than being sad/upset/mad over my situation and i never sought medical attention or medication. i wondered as i was doing my apps, how much to disclose. i wrote my personal statement on one situation but the other one, which was a source of much more heartache, i havent disclosed. i debated whether or not to talk about it and now that i havent yet received any interview calls, im wondering whether i did the best thing or not.
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I have worked in the mental health field for the last 8 years. I have worked with adults diagnosed with schizophrenia for the entirety of that time.
For the people diagnosing this person with schizophrenia because she has experienced hallucinations, you clearly do not fully understand PTSD, or schizophrenia...so maybe skip labeling this original writer with a serious mental illness.
After suffering trauma, it is very common to re-experience the situation often through hallucinations that it is reoccurring. PTSD can be treated and people can heal and lead 'normal', healthy lives.
For the writer, my personal opinion is that you should be honest, but concise. If a crime was committed against you, perhaps you can say something along those lines, rather than stating the crime.
Good luck. Don't be discouraged by people who only see failure. Getting into medical school is difficult, but plenty of idiots get in all the time. You will be fine.
take care!
For the people diagnosing this person with schizophrenia because she has experienced hallucinations, you clearly do not fully understand PTSD, or schizophrenia...so maybe skip labeling this original writer with a serious mental illness.
After suffering trauma, it is very common to re-experience the situation often through hallucinations that it is reoccurring. PTSD can be treated and people can heal and lead 'normal', healthy lives.
For the writer, my personal opinion is that you should be honest, but concise. If a crime was committed against you, perhaps you can say something along those lines, rather than stating the crime.
Good luck. Don't be discouraged by people who only see failure. Getting into medical school is difficult, but plenty of idiots get in all the time. You will be fine.
take care!
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I did not diagnose the person as schizophrenic. I just said that some of the symptoms sounded like it. I have a very good friend who happens to suffer from both PTSD and schizophrenia and also have years of exposure to the mental health field. I have a great deal of empathy for anyone suffering from a mental illness. I know that whatever the diagnosis is, it is a difficult thing to overcome. I would definitely be cautious as to how honest they should be with their past. From what the OP posted, I think it would raise a lot of concerns for a medical school. It is unfortunate, but true. 🙂
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I didnt get a chance to read all the responses so I will probably be repeating some things.
If you mention it in your personal statement (and I think it should), it should definitely be talked about maturely, but not in a sob story type of way. One mistake several individuals make is that they would like to hold their reader's emotions hostage in a situation that no one can possibly look the other way upon. Thus, make sure you talk about it briefly and get to your main points, but dont dwell on it. Its enough information to explain your sudden drop in grades but not enough for them to deicde that you're unfit for medicine. Your extra two years in postbacs should be further helpful. Many people have their own maladies and have subsequently become very successful doctors. WHat distinguishes them is how they have coped with it and how they moved on successfully. Good luck!
If you mention it in your personal statement (and I think it should), it should definitely be talked about maturely, but not in a sob story type of way. One mistake several individuals make is that they would like to hold their reader's emotions hostage in a situation that no one can possibly look the other way upon. Thus, make sure you talk about it briefly and get to your main points, but dont dwell on it. Its enough information to explain your sudden drop in grades but not enough for them to deicde that you're unfit for medicine. Your extra two years in postbacs should be further helpful. Many people have their own maladies and have subsequently become very successful doctors. WHat distinguishes them is how they have coped with it and how they moved on successfully. Good luck!
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Also, schizophrenics don't usually take aripiprazole [Abilify] (i worked with it last summer)- the medication is reserved for individuals with bipolar mania.
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Both take it. My friend was on that and Geodon.
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C'mon. This is readily available info in any pharm book:
From USP DI® Drug Info:
"Indications
Accepted
Bipolar mania (treatment) - Aripiprazole is indicated for the treatment of acute manic and mixed episodes associated with Bipolar Disorder. The effectiveness of aripiprazole for more than 6 weeks of treatment of an acute episode has not been established in controlled clinical trials.
Schizophrenia (treatment) - Aripiprazole is indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia. The effectiveness of aripiprazole for more than 26 weeks has not been evaluated in controlled trials"
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hmmm i wonder if schizophrenia has just been recently added as a new indication. I dont remember covering it. Maybe my project just focused on BPM. 😳
Anyway, to the OP, good luck with everything!
Anyway, to the OP, good luck with everything!
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Again, readily available information.
National Alliance on Mental Illness
(http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Se...anagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=8133):
"Aripiprazole is an "atypical" antipsychotic medication approved for the treatment of schizophrenia by the FDA in 2002."
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I don't want to turn this into a debate, but generally the atypicals were initally approved for use with schizophrenia and their therapeutic benefit for bipolar mania was actually secondary. They do work wonders for BPD though. Sorry, not trying to argue. 🙂
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Jadetree, thank you for pointing this out. It's been driving me nuts the way previous posters have casually dropped the dx "schizophrenia". Please, people, schizophrenia is nothing to be diagnosed casually. My brother has had schizophrenia (note I don't say "is schizophrenic since age 14 (34 now) and it has often been hell on earth for him. He has no hope of lasting recovery. Sure, with meds, and psychotherapy, he is far more functional than without, but nothing works 100% (and he has tried them all). This is very different from the OP who has been able to reclaim his/her (why do I assume her?) faculties and live an outwardly normal life and resume achievement.
Are there people living with schizophrenia who continue to lead high-functioning lives? Sure, but they are a distinct minority. Most of the ones I've known struggle everyday to recognize normal and actual vs. psychotic delusion. My brother can't hold a job and was denied for SSI disability SEVEN TIMES before a gunner Legal Aid attorney went to bat for him. My parents still struggle to take care of him and will likely be doing so well into their seventies, and then whose responsibility will it be? FWIW, he is far less sick since being at home with family the last year than his previous several years in hospitals and group homes surrounded by other mentally ill people. He goes fishing and golfing and works out at the gym on good days. He takes flight on bad days (although recently had the mental capacity to recognize it was the voices telling him to take off and he returned home).
To the OP: I feel for you, and don't want to make light of your situation. I just thought a clarification of seriousness of mental illness was in order.
Lisa
Are there people living with schizophrenia who continue to lead high-functioning lives? Sure, but they are a distinct minority. Most of the ones I've known struggle everyday to recognize normal and actual vs. psychotic delusion. My brother can't hold a job and was denied for SSI disability SEVEN TIMES before a gunner Legal Aid attorney went to bat for him. My parents still struggle to take care of him and will likely be doing so well into their seventies, and then whose responsibility will it be? FWIW, he is far less sick since being at home with family the last year than his previous several years in hospitals and group homes surrounded by other mentally ill people. He goes fishing and golfing and works out at the gym on good days. He takes flight on bad days (although recently had the mental capacity to recognize it was the voices telling him to take off and he returned home).
To the OP: I feel for you, and don't want to make light of your situation. I just thought a clarification of seriousness of mental illness was in order.
Lisa
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Aripiprazole, you just keep on keepin' on. You're doing well.
Lisa
Lisa
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Just take it one day at a time. Focus on getting yourself well. Don't give up and you will succeed. Just keep that in mind even if you have setbacks along the way. I wish you lots of luck!!!!
😀
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Hi OP,
You are very brave to write about this, first of all, and to have the guts to put yourself in the vulnerable position of being on SDN, even with a second logon. 🙂 I wish you all the best.
I think that the suggestions have been good thus far, and I would also further suggest that you might find a particular book interesting. I don't know if you know who Kay Redfield Jamison is, but she is a tremendous scholar (she's actually a Clinical Psychologist on faculty at Hopkins) who focuses on BPD, and she also happens to suffer from it. In addition to writing a somewhat exhaustive text on Manic Depressive Illness, she wrote a memoir about her experiences with BPD (she also had psychotic episodes) called "An Unquiet Mind". It is a tremendous book, and very inspiring.
Take care,
Samwise2
You are very brave to write about this, first of all, and to have the guts to put yourself in the vulnerable position of being on SDN, even with a second logon. 🙂 I wish you all the best.
I think that the suggestions have been good thus far, and I would also further suggest that you might find a particular book interesting. I don't know if you know who Kay Redfield Jamison is, but she is a tremendous scholar (she's actually a Clinical Psychologist on faculty at Hopkins) who focuses on BPD, and she also happens to suffer from it. In addition to writing a somewhat exhaustive text on Manic Depressive Illness, she wrote a memoir about her experiences with BPD (she also had psychotic episodes) called "An Unquiet Mind". It is a tremendous book, and very inspiring.
Take care,
Samwise2
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You don't have to say anything about it. If you can stay stable then don't worry about it. But keep in mind the stress of medical school, can you handle it. Also is there a chance you can have a flashback? I would answer these questions, because you don't want to be taking care of patients and find your self too unstable to do that. Hope that all the best comes to you.
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I'd second the poster who suggested that perhaps the way to address the rocky academic years is to, calmly and maturely, frame it in terms of the event that triggered everything. Explaining you were the victim of an attack/crime/accident (if that's the sort of event you mean) when you were a freshman and that you had a lot of difficulty recovering and balancing school with your personal problems would be understandable to most interviewers.
But I think the best advice any of us can give you is to talk with your premed advisor, or, if that's not someone you trust, talk to a general advisor or even a school counselor that you do trust and explain the whole situation and your worries to them. They've undoubtedly had students with situations like yours in the past, and if they don't know what to do or what the answer is (e.g. an advisor that doesn't specialize in premed), a good advisor will ask around and feel out the best course of action for you. Good luck!
But I think the best advice any of us can give you is to talk with your premed advisor, or, if that's not someone you trust, talk to a general advisor or even a school counselor that you do trust and explain the whole situation and your worries to them. They've undoubtedly had students with situations like yours in the past, and if they don't know what to do or what the answer is (e.g. an advisor that doesn't specialize in premed), a good advisor will ask around and feel out the best course of action for you. Good luck!
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Hey there,
First of all my sincere sympathy for whatever you endured and my prayers are for your total recovery. I can empathize with what you are dealing with because I went thru an extremely traumatic situation during my freshman year. I suffered from Chronic PTSD for many years after it (sometimes i think I still do). Fortunately my grades didn't suffer much because after I took a month's leave on two separate occasions, I threw myself into my work so i wouldn't have to think of feel. it was the only way i could get by and function...if you consider that functioning. I "lost it" on several occaisons even during class and could have suffered severe consequences, but I was fortunate to have a really caring pyschiatrist, whom i had been doing volunteer work with and who knew me well. He supported me and got me out of many situations and in the end (I ended up volunteering for him for 4 yrs) he wrote me a fantastic LOR. I too suffered many psychotic episodes, including suicidal attempts. NO ONE CAN REPORT THOSE RECORDS; they are sealed by patient confidentiality. For better or worse I wrote my PS about my traumatic event because it really attributed to me changing my carrer path to pre-med. I did not reveal all the pyschological issues I suffered as a result of it and only mentioned how it changed me and how I overcame the situation. However a major thing to keep in mind is that if you mention it in your PS; they WILL definitely ask about it...so be prepared to be able to talk about it...I thought I could handle it; I couldn't always. In the end, it didn't hurt me. Somehow I seem to interview well and my interviewers have always felt comfortable with me and they always therefore seemed really caring if the discussion caused my voice to falter...just make sur eyou can talk about it if you write about it...practice. However if you don't talk about it, you'll have a huge obstacle of trying to explain how your grades suffered. Most interviewers and adcoms are pretty understanding; they are normal people who understand life circumstances. Take it one day at a time, one hour at a time...it's a long difficult journey. I sincerely hope things improve for you and you get through this difficult event. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss it further. God bless.
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- Mar 13, 2006
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Wow Psycho Doc, that was wonderful to read.
Not to sound all corny and all, but thanks for sharing. 😍
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- Jun 27, 2004
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thanks; I'm not exactly proud of how I handled things 😳 and actually rarely discuss it openly. However, I know how i felt applying to med school, unsure of what to disclose.....so if this can help someone in need i'm happy to share.
and btw, you seem pretty awesome yourself. 😍
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I would be hesitant to or just not go to a doctor if I knew he had a history of mental illness.
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- Aug 21, 2006
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To the above poster:You wouldn't see a physician if you knew they had a mental illness?
I don't know about you, but I generally don't know about my physician's personal life. And since your probably don't, who knows if your physician has a mental illness?! Maybe he/she does, is able to manage it, and you are unaware. You have been provided with acceptable care, right? So whats the problem? You would never know. Seriously, get a clue, physicians suffer from all the same problems as everyone else, which include life issues like depression, etc.
I assume you want to be a physician yourself? I would be skeptical to see a
physican who is bias regardng peoples' illnesses. Good luck during your psych rotations!
I don't know about you, but I generally don't know about my physician's personal life. And since your probably don't, who knows if your physician has a mental illness?! Maybe he/she does, is able to manage it, and you are unaware. You have been provided with acceptable care, right? So whats the problem? You would never know. Seriously, get a clue, physicians suffer from all the same problems as everyone else, which include life issues like depression, etc.
I assume you want to be a physician yourself? I would be skeptical to see a
physican who is bias regardng peoples' illnesses. Good luck during your psych rotations!