Disclose anxiety history?

[QuickQuestionIhaveone]

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Hey guys. I got accepted to a school. On the school form, it asks a bit about mental history. A couple years ago, I had a small episode with anxiety. I think I had a panic attack and I went a counseling session. It was one at my school. I am much better. I havent had a panic attack in years and I dont expect to have one. I've never taken anxiety medication. I've done just fine without it.

On the form, it asks if I received counseling in the past and if I have anxiety disorder (Currently or in the past, I have to pick one).

My question is, if I state that I have did receive counseling and have had anxiety in the past, do I risk having my acceptance rescinded?

 

[dreee]

I would be honest. If they rescinded your acceptance, wouldnt that be grounds for discrimination based on disability/mental illness?

 

[QuickQuestionIhaveone]

Yes, I definitely plan on being honest. I will stay that in the past, I received counseling and i did have an anxiety issue in the past, but not currently. Which is true. I honestly havent seen a doc for it in years. I feel like it was a temporary thing. I guess I'm just a bit concerned that my acceptance would be taken away.

 

[costales]

Yes, I definitely plan on being honest. I will stay that in the past, I received counseling and i did have an anxiety issue in the past, but not currently. Which is true. I honestly havent seen a doc for it in years. I feel like it was a temporary thing. I guess I'm just a bit concerned that my acceptance would be taken away.

Is this a form for your student health clinic? Was this incident documented in your medical record? I doubt anything will happen to your acceptance. The concern is about stressors/triggers and treatment - undergrad school is a joke compared to med school/residency.

 

[costales]

I would be honest. If they rescinded your acceptance, wouldnt that be grounds for discrimination based on disability/mental illness?

Mental illness is something that you do not want to mention or divulge unless explicitly asked. There is a real stigma against mental health issues in this profession, and there is not much you can do about it. (There are technical standards you have to meet throughout your training, and courts have consistently ruled for schools in ADA cases.)

 

[MamaPsalmist]

So, OP states that he/she intends to answer honestly. Is there space to add comments? It would seem prudent IMO to include how that previous experience has fully prepared you to address potential anxiety quickly and effectively if it surfaces during medical school. So now that you know what red flags to look for, and have experience navigating the mental health system, you can quickly address any issues as they appear. There's almost certainly a more pithy way to state it, but answering the question in terms of how it will benefit you in the future might be the safest way to answer honestly.

 

[j4pac]

Answer the question honestly. The truth is that anxiety is INCREDIBLY common...and quite frankly, I'm sure that all of us would meet criteria for PTSD or anxiety at some points in our career. What's most important is that you had the insight to get treatment...you're now in remission and have the coping skills to help you in the future. It's all about the ability to cope when things inevitably become overwhelming either in life or in this profession.

I honestly don't think it wouldn't be a bad idea if mental health evaluations were part of credentialing...as long as it was non-punitive. Lots of docs out there grinding it out who are being worn out but without the coping skills or insight to overcome their issues. Burnout is becoming increasingly common within the profession and there really needs to be something done to stay ahead of it and change the culture.

 

[DrMikeP]

Hey guys. I got accepted to a school. On the school form, it asks a bit about mental history. A couple years ago, I had a small episode with anxiety. I think I had a panic attack and I went a counseling session. It was one at my school. I am much better. I havent had a panic attack in years and I dont expect to have one. I've never taken anxiety medication. I've done just fine without it.

On the form, it asks if I received counseling in the past and if I have anxiety disorder (Currently or in the past, I have to pick one).

My question is, if I state that I have did receive counseling and have had anxiety in the past, do I risk having my acceptance rescinded?

Speaking with a school counselor once or twice isn't as per say a mental health hx that would likely impact medical school performance. Many many many students go a few times to their school counselor as they learn to adapt to college life but don't have a psych diagnosis and wouldn't really consider that a "mental health history." Just an fyi mental health/counseling records are kept confidential. So you'll have to make the call on if it was serious enough to be considered a mental health history worth reporting. I would avoid lying on the application though, so it depends on what exactly is asked. If you do say yes, then explain it.

 

[j4pac]

Speaking with a school counselor once or twice isn't as per say a mental health hx that would likely impact medical school performance. Many many many students go a few times to their school counselor as they learn to adapt to college life but don't have a psych diagnosis and wouldn't really consider that a "mental health history." Just an fyi mental health/counseling records are kept confidential. So you'll have to make the call on if it was serious enough to be considered a mental health history.

They are typically confidential unless you express suicidal or homicidal thoughts...then they are usually forced to hand you off to a medical provider (which is absolutely the right thing to do).

 

[QuickQuestionIhaveone]

Well, I just dont want to lie on my report. I DID have a small spurt of anxiety and I did receive what is technically therapy from the school. I went on my own though and wasn't hospitalized or anything. I told my primary care doctor about it as documentation in case he had anything to say about it. Again, this was a while ago. I havent seen him for any anxiety related issues in years. I wonder if its likely to affect my acceptance. Is the point of medical history to see if you are a good fit for the school?

 

[docycle]

Maybe they're asking because they can provide you services to help cope with it? Seems strange if it's rescind-worthy and they only think to ask you after acceptance.

 

[MamaPsalmist]

Honestly they way you're downplaying 2-3 counseling sessions is exaggerated. It's not that big of a deal. If you have a formal diagnosis, you should disclose and do so honestly. If you have no formal diagnosis you have the option of not reporting.

Either way it sounds like you could benefit from another couple of sessions. (As most of us could)

 

[DrMikeP]

They are typically confidential unless you express suicidal or homicidal thoughts...then they are usually forced to hand you off to a medical provider (which is absolutely the right thing to do).

Simplifying a bit... Your psych records themselves still remain confidential in most all states, but your report of being a danger to self or others, sufficient identifying information, and very limited history is provided to the proper authorities/professionals to obtain care. There are some issues with FERPA though.

OP: Then yes, you should be honest and if you properly explain things and how you overcome such then it's not likely to result in rescinding your admittance.

I recently presented on physician suicide and almost every premed student at some point meets the criteria for burn-out. So being honest and open to getting help as needed in med school is invaluable!

Depending on the particular research study:
Med Students ~ 20-25% Mild to Severe Depression w/6-10% Suicidal Ideations
Interns – Depression first 3 months rose from 3.9% to 27.1% and suicidal ideation rose by 370% (Arch Gen Psychiatry)
Residents – 70% meet criteria for burn-out
Physicians – 300 to 400/year die by suicide 2-4X National Avg
Female Physicians ~2-3X more likely than male counterparts to kill themselves

So many schools are looking to identify needs early and respond with appropriate supports.

 

[spenguin]

If you had one panic attack (which is the way you make it seem) I definitely would not call that an anxiety disorder.
If its something that happend once several years ago, thats not something worth mentioning. That being said, if you had anxiety more than once a month, I would say you have 'anxiety disorder'

Some people have anciety attacks weekly or monthly. Those people might want to consider disclosing it. For you; I wouldnt