Mentioning "depression" in application/interviews (especially adcoms' opinions)

[GoodGuyGregory]

Hey all,

I was kind of curious to what your opinion on mentioning clinical depression on your application or in the interviews. I have a relatively strong application (~3.9 GPA, good ECs and research), but depression, I think, has been a hurdle that I had to deal with throughout high school and university. In particular, it explains a large dip in my grades during one of my semesters at uni.

It would be good to get your honest opinions. I want to think that the medical community of all people will be welcoming in having someone who has had a mental illness. On the flip side, I can see the obvious question being raised of "can this student handle the pressures of medical school". Is it best to keep quiet on this one? And, I am trying to reach for the top schools in the nation, if that is relevant.

Thanks all!

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[darkjedi]

Absolutely not, there's really no way to spin it in a way that it could help you. Sadly, these things still carry significant stigma, even in the medical community.

 

[Catalystik]

You are not obliged to mention the depression. If you feel you need an explanation for the grade dip, which doesn't seem likely in light of your excellent cGPA, it's fine to refer to nebulous "health issues" that temporarily distracted you from your studies, but are now under control. This has the advantage of being perfectly true without given information that might bias some adcomms.

 

[bambam92]

There are docs with depression/bipolar, but sadly I wouldn't go telling adcoms about it! Clearly you have done quite well with your academics, and know how to manage your depression. Thus you have no reason to explain to them. Honestly it is none of their business, and I think you would be doing yourself a disservice by disclosing this. It would only hurt you.

 

[pietachok]

I think you need to reconsider what the term "large dip in grades" actually means if you have a gpa of 3.9.

mentioning your depression would be a poor decision. This is like a job application -- you are supposed to be selling yourself. Unsolicited & unnecessary discussion of weaknesses is not beneficial & calls into question your judgment. There may be prompts to disclose weaknesses or challenges, and even then I would avoid referring to having a mental illness--these prompts are to check whether you have humility, self awareness, problem solving skills, etc., and should not be used to highlight an illness that would commonly be aggravated by the stress of med school, in some cases to the extent of preventing its successful completion.

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

There are really only 2 things that I think you should NEVER mention to adcoms: 1) mental illness (including depression), and 2) substance abuse/addiction.

Both will raise serious doubts about your ability to handle a medical career, even if you are successfully "in recovery."

Something like 25% of people experience major depression at some point. I'm sure it's a similar percentage among pre-meds. My advice: Do not mention it. It's like mentioning a bad break-up or something. It's personal, lots of people go through it, you dealt with it, and you moved on. Forget it.

 

[solitarius]

Pass.

There is a double standard for physicians and patients.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

Nope.
High risk and low to no reward.

 

[supermintyfresh]

Definitely no! Like others said, focus on your strengths. I have had a semester where I got multiple B's and one C, and very few schools brought that aspect up in the interviews. I would die to have a 3.9 GPA like you. Best of luck

 

[1badmamajama]

Spin it.

"Life situations" or a "health issues" that temporarily detracted from your academic performance, but you're back on track. You have to emphasize that the situation was temporary. These schools do not want any type of indication that this would happen again and take away from your ability to obtain an MD because one less student graduating will affect their statistics...

But you're not alone at all and you shouldn't fee like it. There is a silent and growing percentage of medical students and medical professionals with mental health issues.

 

[pietachok]

Spin it.

"Life situations" or a "health issues" that temporarily detracted from your academic performance, but you're back on track. You have to emphasize that the situation was temporary. These schools do not want any type of indication that this would happen again and take away from your ability to obtain an MD because one less student graduating will affect their statistics...

But you're not alone at all and you shouldn't fee like it. There is a silent and growing percentage of medical students and medical professionals with mental health issues.

OP doesn't need to spin anything. With a GPA of 3.9, there is no temporary shortcoming to explain. Bringing it up would only unnecessarily raise doubts.

...would you bring up any other medical condition that hadn't become directly relevant to academics? no. This is no exception.

 

[Redpancreas]

Spin it.

"Life situations" or a "health issues" that temporarily detracted from your academic performance, but you're back on track. You have to emphasize that the situation was temporary. These schools do not want any type of indication that this would happen again and take away from your ability to obtain an MD because one less student graduating will affect their statistics...

But you're not alone at all and you shouldn't fee like it. There is a silent and growing percentage of medical students and medical professionals with mental health issues.

Do not bring it up. Period. There is still very little room for understanding mental health issues and, especially in the hierarchal medical community, disclosing such information is just inviting someone to find a weakness in you that you frankly don't deserve the associated stigma for. I'm glad that the poll has been so definitive!

 

[GoodGuyGregory]

Thanks guys! This has been really helpful. As fortunate as I am to have a high GPA despite the illness, I could easily have seen things going the other way if I had not had some individuals in my life that supported me. Hopefully opinions on this will change in the future for others who have had to deal with this sort of thing, but have not had the luck I had.

 

[taniaekal]

I've gone through something like this. Stay strong. PM me if you ever have questions or just want to talk.

 

[styphon]

Do NOT mention it. I have experienced more stigma towards mental illness among physicians than I have among the general public.

 

[crimsonkid85]

Agree with posters above. Especially if you are going into a competitive specialty, people are just waiting to smell weakness. The second you reveal your vulnerability, people will seize it, blow it completely out of proportion, and try to ruin you. Remember, be on your guard at all times! No matter how friendly adcom people are, we are forever evaluators first, friends second.

 

[AlexMack12]

Do NOT mention it. I have experienced more stigma towards mental illness among physicians than I have among the general public.

This. Absolutely is true, but also ironic, as physicians complete suicide at disproportionate rates as compared to the general population. Female physicians have a suicide rate around 400% that of non-physician females, and male physicians have a suicide rate around 150% that of non-physician males. The general consensus on this thread (which is absolutely correct) supports this- physicians (or prospective ones) are encouraged to hide issues related to mental health and are less likely to display help-seeking behavior. Not surprisingly, their suicide rates reflect this.

OP, congrats on your success. You've already demonstrated the ability to use a social support system and good coping skills to manage your condition. If in the long run it ever becomes a problem for you again, you'll be better equipped than some others to handle it.