Depressed while in med school?

[helpfuldoc2b]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I hear alot of those who leave medical school based on medical reasons do so because of mental illnesses the majority of the time. Anyone struggle from mental illness, be it depression, bipolar, anxiety, etc... Have to take large doses of meds and still able to study and succeed without too much trouble? For those who have/had mental illnesses, out of curiousity, when were you diagnosed, what were you diagnosed with, and what meds do you take to address your problem and in what dosage. I heard of alot of med students who never have mental illnesses before med school but end up on high levels of SSRIs, and those who all of a sudden become ADD, or ADHD once they start medical school. What is the details on that, does such information have any truth to it, if so to what extent. Thanks.

 

[t33sg1rl]

It seems to me that it is very easy to diagnose a med student with chronic anxiety, depression, ADD, or some combination, just because of the situation we're in.
chronic anxiety-there's a big orange Step 1 permit hanging on my fridge. Yeah, I'm anxious and I will be for the rest of the year.
depression-Not seeing daylight for weeks at a time will do it. I really hate med school, and it's really all I do all week except for a few precious hours of enforced "me" time.
ADD-OK, a lot of med school ADD diagnosed people would probably have no symptoms, or extremely mild symptoms, if they'd chosen a less intense career path. But really, how many average people can study for 10 hours with only a few 15 minute breaks and stay focused? Anything less and you find yourself in the bottom of the class... there just aren't enough people with that kind of stamina to fill up our med schools, so you're going to have people who have trouble. Plus the chronic anxiety makes you antsy, and the anhedonia from your depression kills the small amount of joy you used to find in learning.

 

[medicomel]

studying TEN hours a day every day would make you depressed really quickly. moderation is the key.

 

[helpfuldoc2b]

studying TEN hours a day every day would make you depressed really quickly. moderation is the key.

Good point. I was asking more of those who fall into clinical depression, not your average depression but the kind that consumes your life clinically and your health and takes over your life.

 

[shivasHeroLike]

yeah. moderation is key.

i do applaud those with crazy stamina to study 15 hrs a day ... with minimum breaks without getting burned out.

i want to know that secret as well.

 

[contemplate]

...

 

[LanceFrench]

Your post models my experience in semester one of medical school (right now). However, we are incredible fortunate to be studying medicine, and should not let the sphere of frustration get too large. Perhaps remembering how you are going to focus and help patients in ways that other doctors would not, remember the great service to patients which is practicing medicine.

Again, your post is exactly how I feel. Waiting to be done here with this school, and go back 1k or 2k miles away where I want to be.

For myself, a good measure to see if one is pushing themselves hard is to consider how 'miserable' one is. Pushing yourself usually makes you better in some ways, albeit unforseen at the time it is happening.

Stay strong.

 

[superso]

sucks

 

[LuckyBambooGirl]

If somebody has a tendancy towards anxiety, depression, ADD, anything like that, I would say that medical school definitely brings it out. I really struggled with anxiety/depression feelings my first year of medical school. I didn't go on medication for it or anything, but I had a really great support network that helped me through. It was very hard, and at times I wanted nothing more than to quit, but I didn't and now I am greatful that I stuck with it. I would never want to go through anything like that again, but doing it definitely made me a stronger person! I learned better ways to deal with stress, more efficient ways to study, and when to take a break and just relax. At this point, as a second year, I can honestly say that I am happy and I am glad to be a med student.

 

[Tristy]

I hear alot of those who leave medical school based on medical reasons do so because of mental illnesses the majority of the time. Anyone struggle from mental illness, be it depression, bipolar, anxiety, etc... Have to take large doses of meds and still able to study and succeed without too much trouble? For those who have/had mental illnesses, out of curiousity, when were you diagnosed, what were you diagnosed with, and what meds do you take to address your problem and in what dosage. I heard of alot of med students who never have mental illnesses before med school but end up on high levels of SSRIs, and those who all of a sudden become ADD, or ADHD once they start medical school. What is the details on that, does such information have any truth to it, if so to what extent. Thanks.

I just feel like slashing my throat with a piece of broken glass every other day. But I haven't dropped out of school and I'm doing well in my classes.

 

[OncoCaP]

I just feel like slashing my throat with a piece of broken glass every other day. But I haven't dropped out of school and I'm doing well in my classes.

Hey, glad to hear you're doing well in your classes Tristy! Now about that broken glass, ahem....

 

[tulane06]

yeah. moderation is key.

i do applaud those with crazy stamina to study 15 hrs a day ... with minimum breaks without getting burned out.

i want to know that secret as well.

I think their secret is amphetamines, but I can't say for sure.

 

[Tristy]

Hey, glad to hear you're doing well in your classes Tristy! Now about that broken glass, ahem....

Thanks OncoCap 🙂 Altough I must say that in every joke there's an ounce of truth..

PS: Ok, change the glass and slash my arm with a pair of sharp scissors

 

[Hayden2102]

This year I was competing for a spot in my university's medical school and and a couple of months ago when I thought I had no chance I became very depressed, didn't go to classes, stayed in bed, didn't exercise or eat properly.

Lo and behold I got in anyway but I can understand how the pressure of this industry can get to anyone.

 

[OncoCaP]

Thanks OncoCap 🙂 Altough I must say that in every joke there's an ounce of truth..

PS: Ok, change the glass and slash my arm with a pair of sharp scissors

I'm not in med school yet -- entering in July 2007. I'm totally relaxed, read the newspaper in the mornings, not a worry in the world. My life is sooo different from what y'all are going through (but about to change...). I'm doing research, which is pretty fun and does not involve memorizing mountains of information.

 

[Tristy]

I'm not in med school yet -- entering in July 2007. I'm totally relaxed, read the newspaper in the mornings, not a worry in the world. My life is sooo different from what y'all are going through (but about to change...). I'm doing research, which is pretty fun and does not involve memorizing mountains of information.

Onco, keep chilling and enjoy, is all I can say. Cherish this worry-free time 🙂
I envy you!

 

[OncoCaP]

Onco, keep chilling and enjoy, is all I can say. Cherish this worry-free time 🙂
I envy you!

I'm soaking it in! 😀

So is this the most stress you've ever experienced in your life? One surgeon told me that med school wasn't bad at all ... a gentle introduction to residency; I guess it's a lot easier to look back than forward in this process.

 

[dr.fox]

well...for me i am having varieties of feelings...some times i am VERRRY depressed...other times i feel very superior..but YEs..depressed most of time...🙄

 

[Tristy]

I'm soaking it in! 😀

So is this the most stress you've ever experienced in your life? One surgeon told me that med school wasn't bad at all ... a gentle introduction to residency; I guess it's a lot easier to look back than forward in this process.

Well, I don't want to discourage you! I can PM you with the gory details . But yes, at least for me it has been (well, it is) the most stresful time of my life. It seems to go better for other people, so I guess it really depends on your pre-matriculating sanity-ometer. Everybody does fine for the most part, other's have to to go into counseling to sort things through, and others also have to go to pill-o-land. What can I say? Gory details, I'm telling ya!


PS: I'm under the influence so consider me as telling the truth! salud!

 

[OncoCaP]

Well, I don't want to discourage you! I can PM you with the gory details . But yes, at least for me it has been (well, it is) the most stresful time of my life. It seems to go better for other people, so I guess it really depends on your pre-matriculating sanity-ometer. Everybody does fine for the most part, other's have to to go into counseling to sort things through, and others also have to go to pill-o-land. What can I say? Gory details, I'm telling ya!


PS: I'm under the influence so consider me as telling the truth! salud!

Well, when you're not talking about sharp objects, you seem pretty happy 🙂 .

I actually already have a doctorate and ran a company for about a decade, and I have had my share of stressful experiences. As I've gotten older, I've learned what's important to me and focus on those things. I'm hopeful that my life experiences in dealing with stress will help me in med school. I suppose that going through this stress now will likewise prepare you for challenges down the the road.

 

[PsyberOz]

I wouldn't say someone all of a sudden develops ADD in medical school. I have it - it was there before and its still here now. I just finally took medication for it in medical school.

Absolutely, in fact at least some symptoms existing prior to the age of 8 is one of the required diagnostic criteria in DSM-IV. Excluding other conditions that can cause similar symptoms is one of the others.

Some of the genetic/biochemical predispositions to psych disorder tend to turn on in adolescence and show up later, and those who carry such predispositions tend to be more vulnerable to stress, which can then activate the predisposition. But sure most tertiary level training is stressful.

 

[Tristy]

Well, when you're not talking about sharp objects, you seem pretty happy 🙂 .

I actually already have a doctorate and ran a company for about a decade, and I have had my share of stressful experiences. As I've gotten older, I've learned what's important to me and focus on those things. I'm hopeful that my life experiences in dealing with stress will help me in med school. I suppose that going through this stress now will likewise prepare you for challenges down the the road.

Don't get me wrong, I think that If you have all of that experience in your bag, it can only help. I think that It will help you. Heck, you have all these life experiences, and age (no, I'm not calling you an old fart j/k), and it all factors in when dealing with the demands of medical school.
You know, we all come prepared for a certain degree of beating on our first year, and then it gets worse (well, I don't know, I'm only halfway through my first year but that's what I hear), but it can only make you stronger! Unless of course you continue to see the sexiness of the sharp scissors

 

[OncoCaP]

Don't get me wrong, I think that If you have all of that experience in your bag, it can only help. I think that It will help you. Heck, you have all these life experiences, and age (no, I'm not calling you an old fart j/k), and it all factors in when dealing with the demands of medical school.
You know, we all come prepared for a certain degree of beating on our first year, and then it gets worse (well, I don't know, I'm only halfway through my first year but that's what I hear), but it can only make you stronger! Unless of course you continue to see the sexiness of the sharp scissors

I'm 38, so that's pretty old by med school standards. I've already had a very nice life going into med school, so I'm not looking for med school as a way to become who I am. I'm already a person who is pretty well established in terms of who I am and what kinds of things I do, and I'm going to med school because I want to do medicine; I see it as an important area to serve. I have plenty of experiences in my personal and professional life and I appreciate the difference that medicine makes. Also, I've experienced a lot of junk, so I guess you get used to slogging ahead when needed. I'm not suggesting that I'll be whistling a tune throughout med school, but I do think I can stay focused.

Probably the biggest factor in me even considering medical school was the fact that I ran a business for 10 years. There were portions of that experience that were pure hell. Probably the worst time of all was when two of my business partners started another business identical to the one we were in, wanted to vote me out (fire) me out of the current business, and roll the assets into their new company. I never confronted adversity like that before ... where someone was doing their best to do me in, so to speak. Fortunately another business partner (who ironically was best friends with these other two guys) didn't go along with my and my ally's shares we had a 1% ownership advantage that saved my hide. At the same time I was working on my Ph.D. and my professor was getting ticked off because I was spending too much time on the business and not enough on my research. No, it's gets better ... my wife would call me with these emotional phone calls about how I wasn't spending enough time with her and our first daughter. It was tough getting wedged in from three directions. At the time, I wished I had never been born to face junk like this. Looking back now, it made me more able to deal with even bigger problems in the long run. From then on, many other problems didn't seem as daunting. It allowed me to experience some very rewarding situations without getting distracted by problems and to change my outlook about what's important. Before I was totally achievement oriented. Now, I'm much more sensitive to the effect that my actions have on the people around me because I had to go through some unpleasant experiences myself and wouldn't wish that on anyone.

When I graduated from college the first time (with my first engineering degree), I remember thinking ... wow, it takes a long time to make it through med school; I think I'll pass on that. Now, I'm much more focused on what I think I should do and less worried about the obstacles (like it taking a long time) than I was a long time ago. I also realized that I can enjoy even the most difficult circumstances, usually by befriending the people around me.

 

[samenewme]

Yeah, med school is plenty stressful and there's a LOT to do and learn and a lot of adjustment to the idea you can't learn it all. I never thought that would bother me. I was sure I'd be happy just to be passing. My non-med-school friends laugh and laugh when I tell them this. They knew better.

But I'm an older student, too, and I've had quite a few stressful periods in my life. This is just one of them. Sure, it's in the top 10%, but it's just stress. It's not a concentration camp.

 

[OncoCaP]

Yeah, med school is plenty stressful and there's a LOT to do and learn and a lot of adjustment to the idea you can't learn it all. I never thought that would bother me. I was sure I'd be happy just to be passing. My non-med-school friends laugh and laugh when I tell them this. They knew better.

But I'm an older student, too, and I've had quite a few stressful periods in my life. This is just one of them. Sure, it's in the top 10%, but it's just stress. It's not a concentration camp.

Well, it seems like a rather predictable sort of stress ... a bunch of work to learn, not enough time, tests. It's unpleasant, yes. Of all the types of stress I've experienced, the "too much to do / I'm not surviving" stress never seemed to match the level of stress that compared to the people issues. It seems like getting stuck, as a resident, for example, in a hospital where everything is totally out of control due to improper staffing, because the people there either aren't up to the task or choose not to do their job or the people who don't have a clue are sending everyone else in the wrong direction or two departments are fighting with each other and you're stuck in the middle ... would be much more challenging stress-wise, IMO. I hope that my stress is more of the former and less of the later, although I'll deal with whatever I need to....

 

[georgia_md]

I think their secret is amphetamines, but I can't say for sure.

well, actually, some people just like studying. I should know, I am one of them. Especially if a subject matter is very interesting. Also I am a bit of a show-off, and I like seeing my name at the top of list of people who has the better grades.

There is a thin line between the people who study too much and the people who can't afford to not study enough. Especially those with scholarships.