Depression issue coming up during interview

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redwings54

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So I am very excited about getting an interview at my top choice school, but I am worried about past issues that I have dealt with being brought up and possibly killing my chances of getting an acceptance. About a year ago now I was in Scotland studying psychoneuroimmunology on an incredible fellowship. However, my relationship fell apart and I became severely depressed. I had to come home from Scotland ending the fellowship about 7 months early. I started seeing a therapist and taking some meds. I actually found out I was slightly bipolar and suffered pretty intense depression. I am doing pretty well now, have a good understanding of who I am and what I need to do to make myself happy and content. I have talked with my therapist, family, friends and current med students and feel that I have a pretty good idea of what med shcool will be like. So my biggest worry is how I can answer questions about the fellowship, about losing a job at a hospital I was working at (still dealing with all that relationship crap and wasnt focused on the work) and about my mental state and readyness to start and succeed at medical school. I want to be honest but I dont want to ruin my chances either. I do feel that I am a lot stronger and I understand myself a lot better due to working through my problems and doing a lot of self exploration. So any advice on how to approach the interview or how I can answer questions that question my mentallity and emotional state would be very much appreciated. Thanks guys.

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Unless the depression is written in your application, they wont know about it and i highly suggest not mentioning it. It may be seen on some levels as good that you sought help etc, but they could end up questioning your ability to go into medicine. I was questioned about my health at interviews because of something in my personal statement. My problems were farther in the past so it was not as hard to convince them.

Why did you leave this fellowship earlier? State "I had family obligations to attend to that did not permit me to return, and they have been resolved"

I doubt they will ask about the job because people lose jobs all the time. And no one can ever find out why you left a job. All employers are allowed to say is that you work there fromt his date to that date.
 
It all depends on how YOU feel about discussing your depression- and in an appropriate context.

I admit that I talked about mine in my interview- but it was in response to the question, "What was the hardest decision you ever had to make?" My interviewer said not to get too personal if it made me feel uncomfortable. My answer was "To seek outside help for my depression; coming to the realization that this thing was bigger than me and that I had to have help to get through it."

I'm like that, though- I'm at a place where I feel comfortable sharing my experience. If more people shared their experiences with depression, it would not have the stigma it currently has. It is not a sign of weakness- in fact, seeking help is an incredible show of strength on our part.

Good luck with your interview!
 
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I have been in a similar situation where I had to withdraw from a semester of school because of severe, life altering and painful depression. To be honest, no one asked me about it since it was around 4 years ago--depending on how severe the situation was, it could take a couple of years to completely heal. The best way to KNOW that it will never bother you again, is time. The more time you put between yourself and that experience, the more confident you become in knowing that you are capable of handling med school. More than any thing, make sure YOU know you are okay. I was not even concerned about it during my interviews because of my certainty. I wish you the best of luck. :thumbup:
 
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Just trying to get some more opinions guys. Help me out here.
 
I wouldn't mention the depression. They may not even realize that you left the fellowship earlier, they wouldn't know how long it was supposed to be. If the question of why you left early does come up, I would just say that you had family issues to attend to, as Jonny suggested.
 
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