D
deleted1120605
Last edited by a moderator:
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2017
- Messages
- 542
- Reaction score
- 786
Omg don't report it at all! You're good don't worry
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
- Messages
- 161
- Reaction score
- 224
No, you don't have to report this one specific instance lol - you don't have a substance use disorder nor history of rehab.
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2017
- Messages
- 542
- Reaction score
- 786
Even if you had a PAST diagnosis of substance use disorder (not active or recent) or have been to rehab , these are not things that licensing forms ask. Many do ask about specific psychiatric diagnoses or any psychiatric hospitalization but, inpatient rehabilitation does not qualify as a psychiatric hospitalization.
None of these pertain to you anyways so youre good
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2013
- Messages
- 25,548
- Reaction score
- 40,720
Also many ask if it's ever impacted you practicing medicine or could. So if you don't during med school or residency, and you didn't have a clinical job beforehand it effected, you can answer no.
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2016
- Messages
- 151
- Reaction score
- 165
No need to call yourself stupid for using drugs and definitely don't call yourself stupid for being honest about your usage to a medical professional who was caring for you.
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2017
- Messages
- 1,169
- Reaction score
- 2,196
Medical Licensure Questions About Mental Illness and Compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act
Substantial numbers of medical students and physicians live with some form of mental illness. Over the years, many medical licensure boards have asked physician medical licensure applicants with Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees intrusive questions about whether they have any psychiatric history...
This paper is about mental health history and medical licensing broken down by states, but most states lump mental health and substance abuse into the same question or word the questions similarly. So I would look at that paper for piece of mind. TLDR is that the vast vast majority of states would not require you to disclose this. I don't want to say zero because IANAL and laws change.
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2012
- Messages
- 4,579
- Reaction score
- 16,489
I don't understand. What did you go to the hospital for and what happened when you went? How long were you there? Then what happened? All of these questions matter for us to advise you.
Also, when did this happen? Big difference if it happened during med school vs in high school.
And finally, I guarantee you if you went to the hospital and told them you were using drugs, you have a diagnosis of substance use disorder of some type. The ED would have given you that diagnosis, whether or not they told you.
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2012
- Messages
- 4,579
- Reaction score
- 16,489
The poster didn't say it used it once. He said he once went to the hospital. There's a difference. And you have no way of knowing if the OP has a substance use d/o.
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2012
- Messages
- 4,579
- Reaction score
- 16,489
Many licensing apps DO ask about substance use and substance use IS considered a psych diagnosis which they also ask about.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2017
- Messages
- 542
- Reaction score
- 786
As someone with substance use disorder (former opiate addict), I’ve done a lot of research (with my lawyer) and I haven’t seen one that does. Only recent/current use from what I’ve seen but, maybe some states outside of my region are different
D
deleted1120605
.
Last edited by a moderator:
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2013
- Messages
- 25,548
- Reaction score
- 40,720
I've seen many and filled ones out that definitely asked about any and all dxs or txs for any psych dx, and made clear that SUD counts in their eyes as one.
Others also ask about psych hospitalization and SUD rehab, both, independent of the question above, as a separate question.
Consider yourself lucky not to have had to deal with such applications.
Thankfully regarding the former questions about psych dxs and txs, some have the caveat of asking if a psych diagnosis has ever impacted your ability to practice medicine, or put a time limit ("in the last 7 years" or some such). Some add in "could ever impact" which can make it a bit dicier for some people to answer honestly.
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2013
- Messages
- 25,548
- Reaction score
- 40,720
Honestly, the important thing about answering these is twofold. One is that it makes total sense from your perspective that whatever you answer on the form is truthful. That is not actually the same thing as accurate. But if what you say is not accurate, it must still be believable is that it makes sense you thought your answer was truthful and accurate. The second, is that it is not likely for this to come up to the medical board in any case.
This is why it's so key to understand what is in your medical records, as well as read very carefully the wording of the exact question on the application itself.
If what you are telling us is the whole story, frankly I would just take the lesson from this moving forward to keep your nose clean. No more ****ing around with substances, and don't use legal substances to the point that it's ever going to need to be addressed medically or academically or create a paper trail of some sort.
Go to medical school. And then when you are applying to residency, look at the exact wording of this stuff on the licensing apps of the states where you're considering applying.
You likely won't need a lawyer or have any significant issues, just based on what you have said so far.
Obviously this advice will not apply if there's more to this story or you have further adventures in drug use or psychiatry, you apply to stringent states, or you don't carefully consider these apps or your responses.
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2012
- Messages
- 4,579
- Reaction score
- 16,489
You should stay in your state. There are definitely other states that do ask. Look at this article about a Mayo Clinic study from a few years ago.
Doctors fear mental health disclosure could jeopardize their licenses
In states whose licensure applications ask sweeping questions about mental illness, physicians are most likely to be reluctant to seek treatment.
www.statnews.com
"The problem lies in how they ask, said Mayo Clinic professor and internist Dr. Liselotte Dyrbye, who led the study.
“In some states, the question is really broad, as in, ‘Have you ever been treated for a mental health condition?'” she said. “It’s simply not a fair question.”"
"But, her team’s research found, two-thirds of U.S. states ask the broader form of the question — despite the fact that groups including the American Medical American, American Psychiatric Association, and the Federation of State Medical Boards recommend against it — and that could be causing physicians to forego treatment."
Substance use disorder is definitely a psychiatric diagnosis. There's really no debate about that. Whether or not rehab counts as a psych admission is a different question and open to interpretation especially if one is on a dual diagnosis unit. Not all rehabs are created equal. Some are also psych units. I would say that if you've been to rehab and if you run across a question about psych admission, I would ask a psychiatrist who knows all the details of your situation, along with your lawyer, to avoid problems down the line.
To avoid all the above, try to stay in your state or the surrounding states that you've already looked into.
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2012
- Messages
- 4,579
- Reaction score
- 16,489
Did you have an allergy to the drug? Or did you have an allergy to something and in the course of the discussion, you told them about the drug use? I would get a copy of your records and make sure there's nothing in there about any substances.
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2013
- Messages
- 792
- Reaction score
- 703
Thank you. That's helpful for me, as well.Medical Licensure Questions About Mental Illness and Compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act
Substantial numbers of medical students and physicians live with some form of mental illness. Over the years, many medical licensure boards have asked physician medical licensure applicants with Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees intrusive questions about whether they have any psychiatric history...jaapl.org
This paper is about mental health history and medical licensing broken down by states, but most states lump mental health and substance abuse into the same question or word the questions similarly. So I would look at that paper for piece of mind. TLDR is that the vast vast majority of states would not require you to disclose this. I don't want to say zero because IANAL and laws change.
One thing to increase your privacy. You can opt out of health information exchange from that hospital system. Electronic health records are more linked year to year and you may not want that following you everywhere you go.
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2020
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
why would they automatically diagnose OP of a disorder and not even tell them about it? there are specific diagnostic criteria
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2012
- Messages
- 4,579
- Reaction score
- 16,489
A lot of my patients don't realize they were given certain psych diagnoses in the ED until they read the note. Many ED docs don't tell patients when a diagnosis like that is put in for whatever reason.
If someone is sick enough to go to the ED while using a substance, they likely warrant a diagnosis of intoxication or withdrawal, if not X use disorder. The OP clarified that he was there for an allergy, so if the allergy was unrelated, then they may not have mentioned it. But if the allergy is related, then they very well may have, if not in the diagnosis, then in the notes. If the OP had been there for a side effect from whatever drug he was using, the drug will have to be mentioned.