How do adcoms view OCD?

[randomman07]

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And I'm not talking about OCPD either. Would mentioning OCD in my personal statement hurt my chances at all? I've heard strong advice not to mention any mental disorders, but nothing specific to my case. My OCD was never diagnosed, so I view it as a childhood adversity that I had to overcome by myself, and it made me a stronger student in the end. Being a past hypochondriac also helped get me interested in medicine.

Should I mention anything about these two things?

 

[searun]

Frankly, I don't see how describing your psychological problems, or even how you have compensated or overcome your psychological problems will enhance your prospects for admissions. You will probably get interviewed by one of the psychiatrists at the med schools where you interview. Personally, I would not mention your OCD or your hypochondria

When I applied, I deliberatey concealed the fact that I belonged to a fraternity.

 

[LucidSplash]

And I'm not talking about OCPD either. Would mentioning OCD in my personal statement hurt my chances at all? I've heard strong advice not to mention any mental disorders, but nothing specific to my case. My OCD was never diagnosed, so I view it as a childhood adversity that I had to overcome by myself, and it made me a stronger student in the end. Being a past hypochondriac also helped get me interested in medicine.

Should I mention anything about these two things?

Personally I would be careful about addressing anything that wasn't "diagnosed." Its all well and good to overcome something adverse in your childhood, but to label yourself with an anxiety disorder that you never received diagnosis or treatment for could be taken the wrong way by a group of MDs and medical students (the adcoms).

 

[diosa428]

I'd also leave it out. Talking about your psychiatric problems, past or present, really has no place in your essay unless you're using it to explain a bad semester in college or something.

 

[bcat85]

Leave it out.. Your PS is an opportunity to sell yourself. Mentioning something that may hurt that opportunity is not a good idea.

 

[Mobius1985]

Don't mention them.

 

[blankette]

I think it would be a grave mistake to mention hypochondria, especially when you're going to be working with sick people for the rest of your life.

 

[randomman07]

Thanks for the help guys. Seems like the overwhelming consensus is to leave it out.

 

[cbrons]

And I'm not talking about OCPD either. Would mentioning OCD in my personal statement hurt my chances at all? I've heard strong advice not to mention any mental disorders, but nothing specific to my case. My OCD was never diagnosed, so I view it as a childhood adversity that I had to overcome by myself, and it made me a stronger student in the end. Being a past hypochondriac also helped get me interested in medicine.

Should I mention anything about these two things?

Hey... your story is almost the exact same as mine. I was wondering how I should write about it too.

 

[MrBurns10]

I chose to leave it out of my application completely. Even when they asked for an explanation for my bad semester soph year, I expained it in vague terms. I understand it can be frustrating, seeing as how these things help shape a person and make one stronger, but it just wasn't worth the risk in my opinion (and still isn't).

 

[Handy388]

I think one of the worst way to take a grade hit is to suffer some sort of nasty break up. It's shameful, chicks will laugh behind you backs and you can't even write about it in the PS. It's one of those thing that may legitimately hurt people's chance but will get you laughed at in a male dominant profession. I have a feeling if you put such things on the PS, the reader will have "Wow, this guy have no game" in the back of his/her head.

 

[cbrons]

I chose to leave it out of my application completely. Even when they asked for an explanation for my bad semester soph year, I expained it in vague terms. I understand it can be frustrating, seeing as how these things help shape a person and make one stronger, but it just wasn't worth the risk in my opinion (and still isn't).

hmm interesting stuff, i was thinking of talking about how my OCD and treatment for hypochondriasis was the motivating factor behind my wanting to be a doctor. It really did shape who I am but I do think it would be risky to mention it.

 

[randomman07]

Hey... your story is almost the exact same as mine. I was wondering how I should write about it too.

I already have mine written. What I tried to do was make it clear that this all happened in elementary school when I didn't know any better. I also spun it with a little psychology.

Granted, I did this all before starting this thread. Now I'm wondering if I should rewrite the entire thing..

But I think I might have to take a huge leap of faith here. The rest of my application is solid, and this is my one true motivation for going into medicine. It'll only be that much worse if I have to make something up.

 

[MrBurns10]

hmm interesting stuff, i was thinking of talking about how my OCD and treatment for hypochondriasis was the motivating factor behind my wanting to be a doctor. It really did shape who I am but I do think it would be risky to mention it.

Well, I think it'll depend greatly how you word it and also what the specifics of your OCD is/was. What I had to deal with probably made it a bad idea for me to be open with med schools about. But hypochondriasis, I'm not sure...are you completely over it?

 

[diosa428]

I already have mine written. What I tried to do was make it clear that this all happened in elementary school when I didn't know any better. I also spun it with a little psychology.

When you didn't "know any better?" What does that even mean?

 

[TexasTriathlete]

randomman07: You are about to submit the worst personal statement in the history of writing. Make sure you get help on it.

Do not mention the following on your personal statement:

- Being a serial killer helped me get interested in anatomy
- Being a porn addict made me interested in urology/ob-gyn
- Hypochondria made me interested in medicine
- I have OCD
- I am ******ed
- I am a necrophiliac, and I want to go to medical school so I can have sex with my cadaver.
- I am a drug addict
- I want to go into medicine so I can give rich women big boobs.
- I hate people
- I hate all members of any ethnic group different from my own

Don't write anything negative, unless you can REALLY spin it into a positive learning experience. This is how you're going to sell yourself.

A history of OCD and hypochondria may suggest that you are prone to instability, which is the exact opposite of what you are trying to portray yourself as.

 

[CCLCMer]

I already have mine written. What I tried to do was make it clear that this all happened in elementary school when I didn't know any better. I also spun it with a little psychology.

Granted, I did this all before starting this thread. Now I'm wondering if I should rewrite the entire thing..

But I think I might have to take a huge leap of faith here. The rest of my application is solid, and this is my one true motivation for going into medicine. It'll only be that much worse if I have to make something up.

Yeah, I have to agree with the rest of the posters, random man. This isn't a good idea. Everything you write about is fair game to be discussed at interviews. It's also not a good idea for you to "spin it with a little psychology" unless you're qualified to do that (like you're a professional psychologist or something). You'll really be starting off on the wrong foot with a doctor if you overextend yourself beyond your current level of training and knowledge. Plus, it's really common for adcomms to be psychiatrists because they have time to volunteer. At my school, even our admissions dean is a psychiatrist. Do you really want to get grilled on this stuff by a psychiatrist or two at every single interview you go on? I suppose this would be one way to get free therapy, but it's not going to do wonders for getting you a seat in med school.

Re-write your essay, man. You're a premed, so you must have some kind of clinical experience, right? Talk about your shadowing or your ER volunteering or whatever other clinical experience you have, and don't mention this psych stuff at all.

 

[randomman07]

When you didn't "know any better?" What does that even mean?

Well, like I said I tried to approach it from a psychology perspective. As a kid, OCD was a cognitive schema that formed so I could deal with the perfectionist family I was raised in. This schema broke down after going to school, learning about science, and thinking like a scientist. I realized how irrational it was to wash my hand obsessively when I had a perfectly healthy immune system to take care of me. So I developed a much more rational schema, and I've been free of OCD ever since.

TexasTriathlete: Thanks for the advice. I'll keep that in mind.

Man, considering how much people joke about OCD around here, I didn't realize there'd be so much stigma against it. 🙁

 

[randomman07]

Okay, I will rewrite another personal statement. Seems like this is a no-go.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

Don't talk about your perfectionist family either. The first thing they will think is that you are going to med school because of the standards they have set for you.

This personal statement is for you to talk about how badass you are, and why. Don't talk about bull**** like cognitive schemas and things that gave you problems when you were a kid. Talk about your clinical experiences, your positive character traits, and why you think you will be a good med school student and physician. Stuff like that.

 

[MrBurns10]

I realized how irrational it was to wash my hand obsessively when I had a perfectly healthy immune system to take care of me. So I developed a much more rational schema, and I've been free of OCD ever since.

To be completely honest with you, I don't think that was OCD. Which is even more reason to not mention it.

 

[diosa428]

To be completely honest with you, I don't think that was OCD. Which is even more reason to not mention it.

Yeah people who honestly have psychiatric disorders can't reason their way out of them, especially at the age of 7.

After one month on a psychiatry rotation, your paragraph seems to demonstrate that you don't know what you're talking about more than that you do. I'd leave it out.

 

[leopanther]

Don't mention them. Med school is very likely to exacerbate both your OCD and hypochondria. You don't want them to think you may have any problems.

 

[PreMedMommy]

Since your OCD was not diagnosed, do not talk about it. You will come off as super arrogant and silly by self-diagnosing yourself at 7 with OCD. If it had been a formal diagnosis, then it would be fair game and a good thing to discuss about overcoming adversity. But it wasn't, so don't.

And do not mention being a hypochondriac, either. The only thing worse would be a pharmacy student hopeful mentioning they have had an addiction to perscription medications in the past. Yeah, you may overcome it, but there's a certain stigma attached that you don't want running through your adcom's minds.

Bringing these things up, especially in this context will not give a good impression of you, and for this interview, you need to make the best impression of your life.

 

[DOCTORRRR]

As someone who has suffered through more than ten years of actual clinician diagnosed OCD, I have to admit that I am somewhat offended by your obvious lack of understanding of the condition. One of the hallmarks of OCD is that the sufferer realizes that his compulsions cannot realistically eliminate the obsessions underlying them but feels compelled to carry them out nonetheless. If it were as simple as changing your outlook to a "more rational cognitive schema" I'd be leading a much more comfortable life. I'm sure a good number of people go through so-called OCD-like phases, but the actual illness is far more chronic and devastating than being overly clean for a few months or demanding that your CD collection be in alphabetical order.

That said, I would hesitate to disclose even a professional diagnosis of OCD or any mental illness to any admissions committee, even if it truly did help shape your career intentions or enable you to grow as a person. Despite claiming to seek "diversity" in their classes, the stigma of mental illness is, unfortunately, alive and well in the admissions process and most adcoms will be weary of those whom they perceive likely to buckle under the pressure.

Personally, I find it incredibly hypocritical that some hardships, say Type I diabetes, are acceptable and even applauded as fodder for all those "overcoming obstacles and how they made me the strong person I am today" essays, while mental illness is still regarded as a bright red flag of potential instability. Anti-discrimination policies or not, until we remove all personal biases from the admissions process, this becomes just another part of the game...

 

[shraf]

from what i've seen, some med schools actively discriminate against people with mental illnesses and some make no secret of it. It's not hard to see the logic behind this. I agree with everyone here that you should not shine a spotlight on it in your PS and am surprised that noone has voiced any concern over your intended career choice.

Personally, I find it incredibly hypocritical that some hardships, say Type I diabetes, are acceptable and even applauded as fodder for all those "overcoming obstacles and how they made me the strong person I am today" essays, while mental illness is still regarded as a bright red flag of potential instability. Anti-discrimination policies or not, until we remove all personal biases from the admissions process, this becomes just another part of the game...

i don't see how diabetes can affect your ability to function as a physician but a mental illness certainly can. Med schools also "discriminate" against people with severe physical disabilities since that has the potential of getting in the way of learning and practicing medicine.

 

[186321]

Frankly, I don't see how describing your psychological problems, or even how you have compensated or overcome your psychological problems will enhance your prospects for admissions. You will probably get interviewed by one of the psychiatrists at the med schools where you interview. Personally, I would not mention your OCD or your hypochondria

When I applied, I deliberatey concealed the fact that I belonged to a fraternity.

I went the opposite way with this.. I made it a point to mention my fraternity a lot. Granted I did a lot of drinking and made many stupid decisions with my fraternity, but we also did a lot of great fundraisers and charity events. It was actually great as one of my interviewers was a sweetheart of my fraternity when she was in college.


To the OP... no offense, but if you haven't been diagnosed with OCD then you technically don't have it. I've never been a fan of every other kid in college claiming they had OCD and thats why they got a bad grade. Everyone gets distracted while they study and if you're bad enough that you can't get through a single sentence then you would be diagnosed and medicated.

 

[Handy388]

I went the opposite way with this.. I made it a point to mention my fraternity a lot. Granted I did a lot of drinking and made many stupid decisions with my fraternity, but we also did a lot of great fundraisers and charity events. It was actually great as one of my interviewers was a sweetheart of my fraternity when she was in college.

Contrary to what most people may think, frat sweethearts are not being ridden by 20 brothers. They are mostly committed girlfriends who help out a lot.

 

[Handy388]

I have mentioned in passing that I was briefly disillusioned with my chosen path of medicine when 3 of my grandparents suffered from cancer and 2 of them died on the year my academics suffered much (it's a HUGE drop of GPA, from 3.83 to 3.19 in BCPM, although my overall GPA is OK), but I managed to rally back and my MCAT and GPA shows that, I hope the adcoms would understand.

 

[DOCTORRRR]

from what i've seen, some med schools actively discriminate against people with mental illnesses and some make no secret of it. It's not hard to see the logic behind this. I agree with everyone here that you should not shine a spotlight on it in your PS and am surprised that noone has voiced any concern over your intended career choice.



i don't see how diabetes can affect your ability to function as a physician but a mental illness certainly can. Med schools also "discriminate" against people with severe physical disabilities since that has the potential of getting in the way of learning and practicing medicine.

Yes, having a mental illness might in some cases affect your ability to function as a physician, but that it is far from a definite. What I'm trying to make clear is that having a mental illness does not mean that you are not competent, nor does it mean that you cannot be a good physician. It all depends on the person, the illness and how well controlled it is. One should not be kept from the profession because of some ignorant misconception that everyone with mental illness is incapable of holding down a stressful job. Just as they would for physical disabilities, adcoms need to evaluate the person behind the illness. I highly doubt that adcoms make blanket assumptions regarding applicants with physical disabilities; the same should apply to those with mental illness. There are many professionals, including doctors, who have struggled with mental illness but have managed to succeed. I intend to be one of them.

 

[Alexander99]

Do NOT mention any psych disorders you have or have had in the past. All it does is raise a red flag. If all else were equal and you were given the choice between a doctor with a mental disorder and one who is healthy, which would you choose to do your surgery, prescribe you meds, etc? The simple fact of the matter is, the game is already tough enough without having to put yourself at a disadvantage by mentioning something like this.

 

[Perrotfish]

Does anyone else think this it's odd that the OP only posted this question once?

 

[Diksha]

Seriously, what you describe as "OCD" and "hypochondria" sounds more like a phase. A bunch of people were obsessive handwashers when they were, like, seven. I myself was constantly worried about being poisoned or the earth being destroyed by an asteroid or some other such nonsense, but I sort of just got better on my own, much like you did. Having a phobia when you are a child does not constitute a genuine mental disorder, so claiming that it does will get you nowhere.

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

randomman07: You are about to submit the worst personal statement in the history of writing. Make sure you get help on it.

Do not mention the following on your personal statement:

- Being a serial killer helped me get interested in anatomy
- Being a porn addict made me interested in urology/ob-gyn
- Hypochondria made me interested in medicine
- I have OCD
- I am ******ed
- I am a necrophiliac, and I want to go to medical school so I can have sex with my cadaver.
- I am a drug addict
- I want to go into medicine so I can give rich women big boobs.
- I hate people
- I hate all members of any ethnic group different from my own

Haha, this is why I am addicted to sdn.

 

[Instatewaiter]

Well, like I said I tried to approach it from a psychology perspective. As a kid, OCD was a cognitive schema that formed so I could deal with the perfectionist family I was raised in. This schema broke down after going to school, learning about science, and thinking like a scientist. I realized how irrational it was to wash my hand obsessively when I had a perfectly healthy immune system to take care of me. So I developed a much more rational schema, and I've been free of OCD ever since.

TexasTriathlete: Thanks for the advice. I'll keep that in mind.

Man, considering how much people joke about OCD around here, I didn't realize there'd be so much stigma against it. 🙁

If you havent submitted it yet, dont. If you have, get it back, re-write and re submit.

Since the majority of most adcoms is made up of doctors they will see right through your psychobabble, esp having some background on psychiatry- you know with them being doctors and stuff.

One of the hallmarks of OCD is that the sufferer realizes that his compulsions cannot realistically eliminate the obsessions underlying them but feels compelled to carry them out nonetheless. If it were as simple as changing your outlook to a "more rational cognitive schema" I'd be leading a much more comfortable life. I'm sure a good number of people go through so-called OCD-like phases, but the actual illness is far more chronic and devastating than being overly clean for a few months or demanding that your CD collection be in alphabetical order.

QFT

In other words, they know what they do is counterproductive and illogical but they cant just stop, like you did.

Personally, I find it incredibly hypocritical that some hardships, say Type I diabetes, are acceptable and even applauded as fodder for all those "overcoming obstacles and how they made me the strong person I am today" essays, while mental illness is still regarded as a bright red flag of potential instability. Anti-discrimination policies or not, until we remove all personal biases from the admissions process, this becomes just another part of the game...

I think it boils down to 2 things: stability and, unfortunately, the stigma associated with mental illness.

First and foremost, a person with a mental illness, esp one that has debilitated them at some point in their life, is much, much more likely to have subsequent episodes where they are impaired. Impaired physicians, whether due to mental illness or substance abuse have all sorts of hurdles to practice and DEA licensure. Medical school and residency are very stressful times and mental illness has a habit of popping up at difficult times. So in a way, it is logical that Adcoms do not look favorably on those with a history of debilitating mental illness.

The second reason is an unfortunate one. Like it or not, many people, even doctors, associated mental illness with weakness rather than rooted in a solid pathology. Treatment for mental illness is not exactly where it needs to be to keep everyone in remission.