Explaining LOA: A big gamble?

[GladifImakeit]

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You have been so helpful to me already. Further advice is appreciated. I WAS depressed and had to take a 6 month LOA from medical school after third year. I came back and got 2 honors and have turned in 2 more strong performances, grades pending. What is the best way to address the LOA? Should I be upfront and embrace it, or hide behind the not-so-impressive research and classes I took during my time off?

Here is a sample of a paragraph I wrote:
I took a six-month LOA from medical school due to depression. I am completely recovered and functioning at optimal capacity. I believe my experience as a patient will make me a more compassionate physician. Through unyielding determination I have overcome adversity and gained self-mastery. Hopefully you don't believe mental illness is a life-sentence.

What do you think? Is this a killer? I am hoping psychiatrists will be more understanding than most doctors.

 

[vistaril]

You have been so helpful to me already. Further advice is appreciated. I WAS depressed and had to take a 6 month LOA from medical school after third year. I came back and got 2 honors and have turned in 2 more strong performances, grades pending. What is the best way to address the LOA? Should I be upfront and embrace it, or hide behind the not-so-impressive research and classes I took during my time off?

Here is a sample of a paragraph I wrote:
I took a six-month LOA from medical school due to depression. I am completely recovered and functioning at optimal capacity. I believe my experience as a patient will make me a more compassionate physician. Through unyielding determination I have overcome adversity and gained self-mastery. Hopefully you don't believe mental illness is a life-sentence.

What do you think? Is this a killer? I am hoping psychiatrists will be more understanding than most doctors.

If I mentioned the LOA, I wouldnt mention it as "I was depressed"......I would make up some other reason(maybe serious family issues for example).....

if you had mental health issues that required you to miss time during med school, that makes it likely they will recur and you will miss time during residency for similar issues. That's why you want to explain the LOA as something different that isn't likely to happen again

 

[GladifImakeit]

If I mentioned the LOA, I wouldnt mention it as "I was depressed"......I would make up some other reason(maybe serious family issues for example).....

if you had mental health issues that required you to miss time during med school, that makes it likely they will recur and you will miss time during residency for similar issues. That's why you want to explain the LOA as something different that isn't likely to happen again

That would be dishonest, wouldn't it? I suppose I could say due to illness and not specify depression, but if I'm vague, they might conjecture all sorts of things about what really happened. What to do?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Do not lie. You can be vague, but do not lie.

I thought this thread was going to be about "Law of Averages" and gambling on interviewing/ranking. Eh, win some...lose some; it'll usually average out.😀

 

[notdeadyet]

That would be dishonest, wouldn't it? I suppose I could say due to illness and not specify depression, but if I'm vague, they might conjecture all sorts of things about what really happened. What to do?

Personally, I wouldn't have a problem saying everything you said, but just stating "illness.". Mental illness IS illness. If they want to go into specifics, they can do so during the interview, when you can explain your unique situation in more than a sound byte.

I wouldn't lie by saying you had a family issue. Anyone's reluctance to accept you as an intern with a managed mental illness would pale in comparison to accepting you as an intern with an issue with honesty and integrity issues...

 

[whopper]

I took a year off from medschool. Why? The honest truth was because I was in my late 20s, and seeing my friends live a real life where they were dating, buying homes, having kids, and making fortunes, and having broken up from a relationship with a great girl that I almost married because I had to study incredibly difficult hours, I wanted a piece of the action. I made enough money to pay off most of my medschool debt, dated, and had a lot of fun. No I wasn't going to Roman orgies, snorting cocaine or anything like that. I was living life like most people that age. Working, going to movies, dating, spending time with college friends, getting back to a hobby I pretty much now have dropped (illustrating). Oh no! I guess in some people's minds that's just evil and unacceptable. I never regretted it and thought it was healthy.

I saw nothing wrong with it and still don't, but I've had to explain this with some docs looking at me condescendingly during interviews, and when they did this I just thought these docs were being egocentric, closed-minded, and elitist. I remember during interview for fellowship, a doc that I will not name of high regard pretty much gave me the evil eye for taking time off and I just thought to myself without saying it "Dude, what the eff is your problem? If you want a lobotomized candidate that's fine by me cause I ain't him. Oh and by the way you really must've used too much botox because you got the flattest affect I've ever seen outside a catatonic person."

I was able to not live in fear because from the beginning I already had an acceptance into a program I wanted to be in. The pressure was off. I didn't have to prove myself to some guy and go through his idiotic mind-games where he was trying to get off of trying to make me feel uncomfortable.

If you need to take the year off, you needed it. I would just say something to the effect that I'm a human being, there were things going on in my life and I needed to take that time to make it right and if you want to mention the depression, I'd be fine with it if I interviewed you, but I do think some iron-butt docs of the misery-divorced 4x type will give you grief over it but based on what you're telling me, your numbers are good, and to the point where you're likely to do well and get into some decent programs. Don't let this get you down. I'd only be worrying if your scores were bad.

 

[splik]

I am hoping psychiatrists will be more understanding than most doctors.

ha!

 

[splik]

think of it like this - there are two great candidates, both enthusiastic, great board scores, honored their rotations, publications etc. One has a history of depressive severe enough she had to take a year out of medical school and has more than 50% chance of this happening again. The other does not. Who is going to get ranked higher? Who is going to be bumped down below candidates who dont have as great scores etc because they have no mention of something that could prevent them doing the one thing expected of them, to show up? Psychiatrists know a lot more about depression, but they are also skewed in knowing just how impairing it can be, and tending to see only the most severe cases.

The other problem is if you talk about it in your personal statement, it could look as if you still have issues and are in need of therapy etc. This could question your ability to deal with certain patients. Your personal statement shouldn't be a confessional, it should be very dry, well written, but dull explanation of why you want to do psychiatry, what you will bring to the program, and what you are looking for. It should not delineate your life story, how you were abused as a child, or your personal battle with mental illness.

Unfortunately, you may have little choice but to explain your absence, and this puts you in a difficult situation. If you attempt to vague and conceal it, everyone will just assume you have a mental illness anyway.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I agree with both the suggestions about not lying and about keeping things vague. Unfortunately, we do discriminate in our field against people with mental illnesses. Also, sharing too much about personal experiences might suggest some future issues with boundaries, although it's a tricky situation. I agree with splik that it's better to have a dull personal statement than a heartfelt but too revealing one.

 

[GladifImakeit]

This isn't for the personal statement. There is a specific question on the app that asks you to explain any training gaps in 510 characters or fewer. What the heck do I write, other than what I already posted? 25% of medical students are depressed, and at least I am upfront about it and being treated? They are going to know I finished in 5 years, and my MSPE might say something about being on medical leave. I have to say something. I know there is a no win situation, but what is least damaging?

 

[splik]

I'm not sure I believe that 25% of medical students are depressed, but I can tell you 25% of medical students dont take an LOA because of depression. That is more the issue. No one would care about the mild depression that 25% med students supposedly experience cos it doesn't impair them. If you were unwell enough that you needed to take time out it will be a cause for concern. You will spend your whole time having to explain why you can cope with residency rather than talking about what interest you about psychiatry etc. There may be no way round this, but if it were me, I would not mention anything about the depression or personal difficulties, and just say I did research.

I did actually take a year out of med school because I hated it and was overwhelmed. Perhaps I fitted into this '25%' or whatever, but I was disillusioned with medicine and just thought about what it was I wanted with my life, and how much I hated all the terrible things we did to patients in the name of treatment instead of just letting them die with dignity. I did actually mention this on an application for something else. Guess what? I didn't get what I applied for. For residency, I didn't make any mention of any of this. I said I had a research fellowship and explained what I did and sold it. Now actually my research fellowship did not lead to any publications, but I managed to publish some stuff anyway. Some projects don't work out, and you could legitimately explain, if asked (and its not all that likely anyone will ask unless you say you want to be an academic) that your research project did not lead to a publication in Nature etc because of x, y, and z and what you learnt from it. I don't think it would be too difficult to turn your year out into a positive aspect of your application instead of a red flag making people think you are mentally unstable, unreliable, and liable to leave a program in the lurch etc.

Maybe one day you can do something to change the stigma of mental illness, particularly within the medical profession. This is not the juncture to do it.