Clinical depression and AMCAS essay

[chowchilla]

I'm a little wary of writing about my bout of clinical depression on my AMCAS application, but it does help explain a lot about my grades and put things into perspective. I realize that the AdComs shouldn't (theoretically) have a problem with it, but I can't help feeling uncomfortable knowing that there might still be a stigma attached to it. What do you guys think I should do? Should I write about it, or shouldn't I?

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[Bluntman]

I'm a little wary of writing about my bout of clinical depression on my AMCAS application, but it does help explain a lot about my grades and put things into perspective. I realize that the AdComs shouldn't (theoretically) have a problem with it, but I can't help feeling uncomfortable knowing that there might still be a stigma attached to it. What do you guys think I should do? Should I write about it, or shouldn't I?

I would probably put all the explanation stuff in a separate letter addressed to the Admissions Committee. Some schools even have a special section of their secondary for this. Either way, they'll add it to your file with the rest of your stuff. I would reserve the personal statement for positive things like motivation/career-goals/etc.

 

[pnasty]

I understand your hesitations, and I would have to say that I prob wouldnt stress it too much. I think you should find someplace to put it because its impressive how you have dealt with it, but I dont think you should stress it too much.

Maybe it should go under that section on AMCAS for special considerations?

 

[prana_md]

Hello there.
I'm an accepted re-applicant. in the 2004-05 cycle, I wrote about depression in my personal statement and in the 05-06 cycle I did not. I believe, unfortunately, that discussing depression in my PS negatively affected my application. This made me angry, because I really want to be "out" about my disease. I would recommend discussing it in an "additional comments" space that you are often allotted on secondaries. That way you could discuss how it affected your life and your grades without it being part of your PS. Good luck ... PM me if you like.

 

[cubbbie]

I wouldn't talk about it at all. Avoid it at all costs. I know you would like to think that people in the medical field would be open minded about it and whatnot, but trust me -- they aren't . Maybe, MAYBE talk about it at an interview if the people seem like sympathetic types, but otherwise no. If you did poorly in college because of depression, why on earth would they think you would do any better in medical school? They're looking for someone who's reliable and totally solid. No one, of course, is ... but you have to put up that front at least during the application process.

 

[DrBowtie]

I would probably put all the explanation stuff in a separate letter addressed to the Admissions Committee. Some schools even have a special section of their secondary for this. Either way, they'll add it to your file with the rest of your stuff. I would reserve the personal statement for positive things like motivation/career-goals/etc.

I agree. Highlight the positives about why you'd make a great doctor rather than explaining away your low grades.

 

[TinyFish]

I'm just adding my "me too" post.

Same thing happened to me. My grades didn't suffer, but many other things did, and depression has always been a big part of my life. I considered writing about it too, but everyone similarly discouraged me from doing it, and I think they were right.

As someone else said, we'd like to think that AdComs are sympathetic, but they are likely not to be.

 

[doublehh03]

my brother is suffering from a very deep psychological problem (though he's not insane), probably extreme depression.

can i write about how his situation (and how helpless i am) motivate me to become a doctor?

or is that too negative too?

 

[k_soze]

I wouldn't talk about it at all. Avoid it at all costs. I know you would like to think that people in the medical field would be open minded about it and whatnot, but trust me -- they aren't .

I want to second this post because I agree 100%. Even though ADCOMs and MD's should be sympathetic to your problem, they'll instead be thinking about recurrence risk and how it could impact your performance in med school. Leave it out of your application entirely.

 

[confused-one]

I've talked this over with my adviser, as I'm in the same boat. One semester, I just nose-dived, dropped a course, did horribly in the classes I maintained.

So in the committee letter, it's going to be noted that I struggled with an illness that semester, with emphasis on me opting to stick it out and persevere. It kind of "explains" my drop in grades without sounding negative.

It IS awful that you can't be more open about these things, because honestly recovering from some serious psychological issues is something I am proud of, it IS my biggest struggle, accomplishment, etc. But it's taboo, and I'm not mentioning it anywhere.

 

[daydrmgirl]

What do you guys think about writing about physical illnesses? My grades didn't suffer but I had to drop volunteering and such. The only problem with writing about it is that my condition still persists though it has been v. stable.

 

[Will Ferrell]

I want to second this post because I agree 100%. Even though ADCOMs and MD's should be sympathetic to your problem, they'll instead be thinking about recurrence risk and how it could impact your performance in med school. Leave it out of your application entirely.

amen. OP, don't give adcoms a reason to reject you. They're not sympathetic at all. Their job is to weed you out.

 

[Will Ferrell]

my brother is suffering from a very deep psychological problem (though he's not insane), probably extreme depression.

can i write about how his situation (and how helpless i am) motivate me to become a doctor?

or is that too negative too?

Actually, I'd stay away from any family-related problem. They'll think that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and suspect you're at a high risk for the same mental illness.

 

[prana_md]

So in the committee letter, it's going to be noted that I struggled with an illness that semester, with emphasis on me opting to stick it out and persevere. It kind of "explains" my drop in grades without sounding negative.

This is a GREAT solution! Not only does it explain a dip in academic performance, it's an official endorsement that you struggled with something and recovered. I like the open-ended "illness" too.

 

[browniegirl86]

What do you guys think about writing about physical illnesses? My grades didn't suffer but I had to drop volunteering and such. The only problem with writing about it is that my condition still persists though it has been v. stable.

It should be ok, but check out the physical requirements for the schools you're interested in. If your illness might prevent you from fulfilling those standards, then I wouldn't emphasize it.

 

[Law2Doc]

If your illness might prevent you from fulfilling those standards, then I wouldn't emphasize it.

If your illness actually prevents you from meeting the standards of a particular school, they are going to NEED to know about it, because if you are going to succeed, they are going to need to be willing to accomodate you. So in this limited instance, I think not emphasizing it only sets you up for an uncomfortable experience down the road.

 

[browniegirl86]

If your illness actually prevents you from meeting the standards of a particular school, they are going to NEED to know about it, because if you are going to succeed, they are going to need to be willing to accomodate you. So in this limited instance, I think not emphasizing it only sets you up for an uncomfortable experience down the road.

You're right. I think what I was trying to say was:

If your condition has become stable to the extent that it won't affect your performance now and in the future (and you KNOW this), but it would have affected your performance when the symptoms were the most severe, then don't emphasize it.

Does that make any sense??

(I agree with Law2Doc though, if it's something you'll need accomodation for you should be up-front about it. No sense in trapping yourself into a situation where you physically can't function well enough to succeed.)

 

[Sundarban1]

We had several adcoms speak at Harvard recently to a group of post bacc students and they all agreed that if you have personal issues, address them seperately from your primary application. The "victim" factor is really getting out of hand and is quite passe these days, especially with the number of qualitiy of applicants. One adcom (Harvard) said to treat the primary as you would a first date, ie don't air your dirty laundry. The primary is your opportunity to shine, why focus on something so negative?

I'm sure you can find more positive things to write about that would make you stand out. Good luck

 

[Law2Doc]

The "victim" factor is really getting out of hand and is quite passe these days, especially with the number of qualitiy of applicants.

I was told by an adcom that 95% of all application essays his school sees seem to fit into one of about 8 or 9 different, very non-unique, passe and overdone, fact patterns, and overcoming illness as a route to medicine was one of them. The fact that more and more new books of sample "successful" essays parrot these and that fact that a lot of premeds are not particularly creative probably exascerbates this problem each year.

 

[FloridaMadame]

If your illness actually prevents you from meeting the standards of a particular school, they are going to NEED to know about it, because if you are going to succeed, they are going to need to be willing to accomodate you. So in this limited instance, I think not emphasizing it only sets you up for an uncomfortable experience down the road.

I usually don't disagree with your posts, but this time I do. Depression is a very tricky illness. A person may have one serious bout, then never again, or a few bouts which are easily controlled with the right meds and therapy, or, it may be an ongoing chronic disease that needs constant care and maintenance. The OP wrote that (s)he had trouble one semester---that does not quite put her/him in the category of needing a school to accomodate the illness---besides, what med school DOESN'T have a mental health facility/faculty on campus, should a student need it? I honestly wouldn't write about how I overcame depression or why I had bad grades one semester because of depression. Emphasizing the OP's depression as you suggested will NOT get the adcoms interested in the applicant and will probably do the complete reverse. IMHO, these are two topics that shouldn't be touched with a ten foot pole. As an applicant, give the ADCOMS reasons why they should accept you, not reasons why you should be rejected. And, to the poster who wrote that there is going to be mention of an "illness" in the LOR's, that is plenty of time to devise an appropriate answer at an interview--and not one second before that point! Wishing you the best of luck on your application!

 

[browniegirl86]

I usually don't disagree with your posts, but this time I do. Depression is a very tricky illness. A person may have one serious bout, then never again, or a few bouts which are easily controlled with the right meds and therapy, or, it may be an ongoing chronic disease that needs constant care and maintenance. The OP wrote that (s)he had trouble one semester---that does not quite put her/him in the category of needing a school to accomodate the illness---besides, what med school DOESN'T have a mental health facility/faculty on campus, should a student need it? I honestly wouldn't write about how I overcame depression or why I had bad grades one semester because of depression. Emphasizing the OP's depression as you suggested will NOT get the adcoms interested in the applicant and will probably do the complete reverse. IMHO, these are two topics that shouldn't be touched with a ten foot pole. As an applicant, give the ADCOMS reasons why they should accept you, not reasons why you should be rejected. And, to the poster who wrote that there is going to be mention of an "illness" in the LOR's, that is plenty of time to devise an appropriate answer at an interview--and not one second before that point! Wishing you the best of luck on your application!

Law2Doc's post (the one you wrote this about) wasn't actually referring to depression or the OP. It was a response to another poster who was asking about a physical ailment.

 

[FloridaMadame]

Law2Doc's post (the one you wrote this about) wasn't actually referring to depression or the OP. It was a response to another poster who was asking about a physical ailment.

Oops-sorry-my mistake. But, I still wouldn't emphasize ANY illness in my primary application. It is up to the applicant to look like a fabulous candidate and not one that might create a problem. I would however, do my homework and make sure that any place I am applying to has the facilities I would need should my "illness" , whatever it is, require additional attention (should I be accepted). Again, it is up to the applicant to try to figure out what school is a good "fit" for them, especially for students who do have medical issues whether they are physical or psychological.

 

[chowchilla]

thank you everyone for your responses. after reading your feedback, i've decided not to mention it at all and emphasize or expand on other things instead (which might not come across in the ec space). things that make me look good 🙂

i still wish there wasn't so much stigma attached to such matters, but c'est la vie, eh? 🙄

 

[Law2Doc]

But, I still wouldn't emphasize ANY illness in my primary application. It is up to the applicant to look like a fabulous candidate and not one that might create a problem. I would however, do my homework and make sure that any place I am applying to has the facilities I would need should my "illness" , whatever it is, require additional attention (should I be accepted).

So if you were blind, deaf, wheelchair bound etc., or had some debilitating condition needing special regular care or otherwise needing some special accomodations, you wouldn't let the school know that until you showed up for an interview? I really think this isn't the smartest tactic. Certainly blind and wheelchair bound folks have made it through med schools willing to accomodate them, but I doubt their impairments were sprung on adcoms at the end. Quite a few schools these days have you fill out forms as part of the secondary that indicate that you don't have any impairments that would prohibit you from doing a variety of tasks expected of later year medical students -- they don't like surprises.

 

[daydrmgirl]

Oops-sorry-my mistake. But, I still wouldn't emphasize ANY illness in my primary application. It is up to the applicant to look like a fabulous candidate and not one that might create a problem. I would however, do my homework and make sure that any place I am applying to has the facilities I would need should my "illness" , whatever it is, require additional attention (should I be accepted). Again, it is up to the applicant to try to figure out what school is a good "fit" for them, especially for students who do have medical issues whether they are physical or psychological.

Thanks for the replies, folks. I guess when I meant "physical," all I meant was not psychological - I have an autoimmune disease that compromises my immune system somewhat (low wbc count). I didn't put it in my first draft and might make some vague/general remarks about the experience. I agree that the personal statement is like a "first date" - put your best foot forward.

 

[FloridaMadame]

So if you were blind, deaf, wheelchair bound etc., or had some debilitating condition needing special regular care or otherwise needing some special accomodations, you wouldn't let the school know that until you showed up for an interview? I really think this isn't the smartest tactic. Certainly blind and wheelchair bound folks have made it through med schools willing to accomodate them, but I doubt their impairments were sprung on adcoms at the end. Quite a few schools these days have you fill out forms as part of the secondary that indicate that you don't have any impairments that would prohibit you from doing a variety of tasks expected of later year medical students -- they don't like surprises.

They also don't like the idea of taking on someone who might have had an issue with depression and there is still a very negative connotation attached to it. Depression, when treated properly, is NOT debilitating in the same sense as being blind, deaf, wheelchair bound, etc.or having some other chronic condition. The school does not have to accommodate you with wheelchair ramps, beeping traffic lights, seeing eye dogs or the like. Depression is something that can very often be controlled or eliminated completely with proper care and treatment and will NOT impair you as far as doing medical tasks required as a doctor if your treatment is working. The same can be said if you have PID's or any number of other diseases==they key is to having it controlled. If you are blind, deaf, or permanently wheelchair bound, the odds are, you will always have these conditions and your condition will not improve or ever be "normal" and it is definitely a part of who you are and definitely requires special circumstances and special attention. That is not to say that you can't be a perfectly fine physician. The conditions that you highlighted can not be included in the same category with depression which you may suffer from only once or twice in your lifetime. I still can't see why you would want to draw attention to a problem that may or may not plague you again at some time (as opposed to your aforementioned conditions which are out there for all to see on a very obvious, full-time basis). Your comparison is like apples and oranges-both are fruits but they look different, smell different, taste different and are really totally different. If a person is feeling well and is functioning normally, would you really think that they should tell the ADCOMS that they once had a problem? Remember, depression is not something that is planned and it can happen to anyone at any time, (even you) including AFTER you have already been accepted at a med school. Should you also tell adcoms that maybe, someday, there is a chance (since it is so common) that you might get a case of depression, just so they can be prepared to handle it? I think not. Any school worth its salt will have staff on hand to deal with such issues and I still feel that admitting it to some anonymous group who is going to evaluate you without really knowing you based on what you wrote on an application when you are trying to put your best foot forward, is not the wisest idea. There is plenty of time to tell them of your diabetes, herniated discs, genital warts, asthma, syphillis and other medical problems that may require attention, when you fill out your medical forms before school starts. I guess Law2Doc, you and I will just have to disagree on this one.

 

[MiesVanDerMom]

We've had this discussion before in the non-trad forum and the advice was different. There was someone who was rejected because he did NOT discuss his bad semester in his PS. Adcoms saw it as arrogant and irresponsible not to address the bad semester. I have a bad year, a very bad year, due to peri-natal depression I suffered while pregnant and I am also wrestling with how to address it. It will have to be addressed somewhere on my application. I find the advice from the HArvard adcom interesting and I think I will probably move it from my PS to another part of my app. There are a lot of people in the non-trad forum who discussed problems in the PS and got in. I would guess it also has to do with the nature of the problem, extent of the damage etc. I am also doing what a PP said: I will simply be saying it was due to illness and it will be up to them if they want to know more. Luckily for me, should the gory details come out I have pretty good proof my condition is under control: I had a second pregnancy and aced organic chem during it! Bah, best of luck to all of us! Maybe someday we'll all sit on adcoms and be enlightened about depression...

 

[CMismo]

I'm a little wary of writing about my bout of clinical depression on my AMCAS application, but it does help explain a lot about my grades and put things into perspective. I realize that the AdComs shouldn't (theoretically) have a problem with it, but I can't help feeling uncomfortable knowing that there might still be a stigma attached to it. What do you guys think I should do? Should I write about it, or shouldn't I?

Don't focus on the negative. Can you be sucessful despite your depression? Focus on that. It is important to acknowledge your grades, but you do not have to explain in explicit detail. Just get the point across that you were having personal struggles (you may even want to mention depression but you don't have to), but don’t dwell on your struggles. Make sure your personal statement shows how you have survived against the odds not just how the odds have negatively affected you.

CMismo 😳

 

[tikiman]

wat was it got u guys through the depression (except medication and therapy)??? i want to get through it w/o using those solutions as both ways will increase my financial burden.

tikiman

 

[FloridaMadame]

wat was it got u guys through the depression (except medication and therapy)??? i want to get through it w/o using those solutions as both ways will increase my financial burden.

tikiman

There have been many articles (including the Mayo Clinic) that suggest that regular exercise, especially running, helps to alter the chemical levels in the brain that control depression. Exercise seems to raise serotonin levels and eleviate symptoms. Just google "depression and exercise" and you will come up with numerous articles. Hope this helps. If you try exercise and it doesn't help, you might want to go to a psychiatrist--many patients are helped with meds and therapy in less than a year's time----feeling good is definitely worth the investment.

 

[MiesVanDerMom]

i buy my anti-depressants from canada and they're pretty cheap that way. definately worth it for me.

 

[tikiman]

There have been many articles (including the Mayo Clinic) that suggest that regular exercise, especially running, helps to alter the chemical levels in the brain that control depression. Exercise seems to raise serotonin levels and eleviate symptoms. Just google "depression and exercise" and you will come up with numerous articles. Hope this helps. If you try exercise and it doesn't help, you might want to go to a psychiatrist--many patients are helped with meds and therapy in less than a year's time----feeling good is definitely worth the investment.

hmm...ok, thx. I'll try to start running in the morning. (i've been thinking abt it anyways). but out of curiosity, does anyone know how much would the "going to pshychiatrist and taking medicine" route for a year would cost? (ballpark)
tikiman

 

[MiesVanDerMom]

So where on AMCAS can we mention the illness? I'm looking at the app. worksheet and I don't see a spot. It says to write about such things in the personal statment. There is a space in the "Disadvantaged" section but I think this is for financial hardships, not illness. Anyone know where we can mention this other than PS???????????

 

[Schaden Freud]

wat was it got u guys through the depression (except medication and therapy)??? i want to get through it w/o using those solutions as both ways will increase my financial burden.

tikiman

Docosahexaenoic acid lowers depression.

 

[MossPoh]

I had some extremeley low points in my life as well...including about 3 seconds away from suicide and have bounced back..but I still don't want to put it on my recommendation. If they ask about my low grades first starting college I might mention that I had to overcome some personal problems, and if they push deeper I'll tell them that AT THE TIME I had depression/social-anxiety but that it is well past now....I've already been turned once because of being honest about my depression...Applying to ROTC programs for scholarship I was pretty much assured the scholarship at Vanderbilt or Virginia Tech ...all I had to do was get the physical stuff filled out. I was honest and said that at a time I was clinically depressed and they flat out denied me for something like an "automatically disqualifying condition". If it weren't for that I would probably be at vandy on a full ride right now working on medical school...but oh well. I don't regret it now...they flat out lied to me about Iraq (This was in 2002 or so)...

 

[Sundarban1]

So where on AMCAS can we mention the illness? I'm looking at the app. worksheet and I don't see a spot. It says to write about such things in the personal statment. There is a space in the "Disadvantaged" section but I think this is for financial hardships, not illness. Anyone know where we can mention this other than PS???????????

You have to ask why you think this is important to write about. Lets face it, everyone is depressed at some point in our lives, and seek treatment. Did it have some relevance in your decision to go into medicine? If so, than sure its possible to spin it in your favor. Otherwise, like another poster stated, you can address it in "other comments" section or a seperate letter altogether if you think the illness is so serious, that you need special accomidations. However, in this case, I would question whether it is an appropriate time in your life to be applying to medical school.

 

[tikiman]

I had some extremeley low points in my life as well...including about 3 seconds away from suicide and have bounced back..but I still don't want to put it on my recommendation. If they ask about my low grades first starting college I might mention that I had to overcome some personal problems, and if they push deeper I'll tell them that AT THE TIME I had depression/social-anxiety but that it is well past now....I've already been turned once because of being honest about my depression...Applying to ROTC programs for scholarship I was pretty much assured the scholarship at Vanderbilt or Virginia Tech ...all I had to do was get the physical stuff filled out. I was honest and said that at a time I was clinically depressed and they flat out denied me for something like an "automatically disqualifying condition". If it weren't for that I would probably be at vandy on a full ride right now working on medical school...but oh well. I don't regret it now...they flat out lied to me about Iraq (This was in 2002 or so)...

👍 bravo for kicking this nightmare's ass! How did u accomplish it?

tikiman

 

[FloridaMadame]

i buy my anti-depressants from canada and they're pretty cheap that way. definately worth it for me.

I got my meds from Canada too and they ran about $75 or 100 per month (don't remember exactly because of dosage change). Now psych help is expensive--about $250 to 300 an hour where I live, but fortunately, I only went a few times. Maybe you can arrange for a few 1/2 sessions after your initial diagnostic visit and that way it will be cheaper. I consider it money well spent.

 

[popbirch]

I had a similar issue my first year of college. My GPA was about 3.1 or so. And since then I have been 3.8 or so. I was so depressed I couldn't even leave my room for days at a time, which isn't conducive to academic success. It was like that for about 6 months then my exgirlfriend convinced my parents I was pretty f*cked up and they forced my to go to a pyschiatrist. It didn't really help too much because I lied a lot to him and said the things I knew he wanted to hear. I was on geodon, remeron, and some serotonin reuptake inhibitor. The first two were to help with the insomnia that the SRI caused. They didn't seem to help all that much.

There is a good book he mentioned that did help called, "The Feeling Good Handbook" by David Burns M.D. Its sort of a cheesy name but I thought it hit the nail on the head with some of my problems. I had an extremely strong habit of blaming myself for problems regardless of my actions or of the outcomes (Damned if you do and damned if you don't). Once I started to recognize some of the behaviours that were contributing I had a better target of what to work on rather than just 'being happy'. I could focus on instances that were debilitating.

And things got better very slowly, at first it was like 5 or 10 minutes a day, when I was awake, that I didn't hate myself. And progressively became an hour or two hours and then a whole day, and then a couple days in a row. And I always have set backs when I am depressed or upset but I don't let myself ruminate about them for weeks, I learn from a mistake and move on. Something that one of pysch docs said sort of stuck with me though, she said that this is my illness and it something I that is part of me and thats ok, but it means that it is something that will not just go away, it will be a fight. So I fought. And it still takes mental effort to keep myself ok with the world, but the past few years have been the best of my life.

So with all that I was accepted to a few schools this year for M.D. and I didn't mention my bout with depression. I think that most people going into med school have had a significant bout of depression that has negatively effected their lives in some way. I wouldn't shy away from it as if it needs to be covered up, but I would only say something about it if specifically asked. Especially if your GPA has recovered and you have a decent MCAT they will be able to tell you are intelligent enough to handle med school. For the most part I think most Adcoms just think a low semester or two of GPA is pretty normal for most people for whatever reason. So I didn't mention my depression and was never asked about my low grades my first year that were a result of that depression. That was how I dealt with it.

 

[tikiman]

I had a similar issue my first year of college. My GPA was about 3.1 or so. And since then I have been 3.8 or so. I was so depressed I couldn't even leave my room for days at a time, which isn't conducive to academic success. It was like that for about 6 months then my exgirlfriend convinced my parents I was pretty f*cked up and they forced my to go to a pyschiatrist. It didn't really help too much because I lied a lot to him and said the things I knew he wanted to hear. I was on geodon, remeron, and some serotonin reuptake inhibitor. The first two were to help with the insomnia that the SRI caused. They didn't seem to help all that much.

There is a good book he mentioned that did help called, "The Feeling Good Handbook" by David Burns M.D. Its sort of a cheesy name but I thought it hit the nail on the head with some of my problems. I had an extremely strong habit of blaming myself for problems regardless of my actions or of the outcomes (Damned if you do and damned if you don't). Once I started to recognize some of the behaviours that were contributing I had a better target of what to work on rather than just 'being happy'. I could focus on instances that were debilitating.

And things got better very slowly, at first it was like 5 or 10 minutes a day, when I was awake, that I didn't hate myself. And progressively became an hour or two hours and then a whole day, and then a couple days in a row. And I always have set backs when I am depressed or upset but I don't let myself ruminate about them for weeks, I learn from a mistake and move on. Something that one of pysch docs said sort of stuck with me though, she said that this is my illness and it something I that is part of me and thats ok, but it means that it is something that will not just go away, it will be a fight. So I fought. And it still takes mental effort to keep myself ok with the world, but the past few years have been the best of my life.

So with all that I was accepted to a few schools this year for M.D. and I didn't mention my bout with depression. I think that most people going into med school have had a significant bout of depression that has negatively effected their lives in some way. I wouldn't shy away from it as if it needs to be covered up, but I would only say something about it if specifically asked. Especially if your GPA has recovered and you have a decent MCAT they will be able to tell you are intelligent enough to handle med school. For the most part I think most Adcoms just think a low semester or two of GPA is pretty normal for most people for whatever reason. So I didn't mention my depression and was never asked about my low grades my first year that were a result of that depression. That was how I dealt with it.

Great post! 👍 .... i think i already have fought off like 95% of my depression w/o any external help (which i am really proud of!) and i also read FloridaMadame's post and the money factors does not look too outrageous so its good to know that i can get some external help if i want some. But eitherways, congratulations on all your success stories over depression and see you all in med school! 🙂
Tikiman

 

[HarveyR]

They also don't like the idea of taking on someone who might have had an issue with depression and there is still a very negative connotation attached to it. Depression, when treated properly, is NOT debilitating in the same sense as being blind, deaf, wheelchair bound, etc.or having some other chronic condition. The school does not have to accommodate you with wheelchair ramps, beeping traffic lights, seeing eye dogs or the like. Depression is something that can very often be controlled or eliminated completely with proper care and treatment and will NOT impair you as far as doing medical tasks required as a doctor if your treatment is working. The same can be said if you have PID's or any number of other diseases==they key is to having it controlled. If you are blind, deaf, or permanently wheelchair bound, the odds are, you will always have these conditions and your condition will not improve or ever be "normal" and it is definitely a part of who you are and definitely requires special circumstances and special attention. That is not to say that you can't be a perfectly fine physician. The conditions that you highlighted can not be included in the same category with depression which you may suffer from only once or twice in your lifetime. I still can't see why you would want to draw attention to a problem that may or may not plague you again at some time (as opposed to your aforementioned conditions which are out there for all to see on a very obvious, full-time basis). Your comparison is like apples and oranges-both are fruits but they look different, smell different, taste different and are really totally different. If a person is feeling well and is functioning normally, would you really think that they should tell the ADCOMS that they once had a problem? Remember, depression is not something that is planned and it can happen to anyone at any time, (even you) including AFTER you have already been accepted at a med school. Should you also tell adcoms that maybe, someday, there is a chance (since it is so common) that you might get a case of depression, just so they can be prepared to handle it? I think not. Any school worth its salt will have staff on hand to deal with such issues and I still feel that admitting it to some anonymous group who is going to evaluate you without really knowing you based on what you wrote on an application when you are trying to put your best foot forward, is not the wisest idea. There is plenty of time to tell them of your diabetes, herniated discs, genital warts, asthma, syphillis and other medical problems that may require attention, when you fill out your medical forms before school starts. I guess Law2Doc, you and I will just have to disagree on this one.

If only I have found you my dear! I was such an idiot. i thought the world was place for a depressed ones like me but unfortunately i didnt understand it. I had warners but i was oblvious to them. I was such an idiot. I hope I haven't missed all my chances now.

 

[ivorypearls]

I'm a little wary of writing about my bout of clinical depression on my AMCAS application, but it does help explain a lot about my grades and put things into perspective. I realize that the AdComs shouldn't (theoretically) have a problem with it, but I can't help feeling uncomfortable knowing that there might still be a stigma attached to it. What do you guys think I should do? Should I write about it, or shouldn't I?

No, no, no. Please don't.

 

[Glazedonutlove]

No, no, no. Please don't.

I think he is done contemplating this by now

 

[HarveyR]

I think he is done contemplating this by now

Haha yes! It was like almost nine years now and He has already completed residency :V