I think it's a little naive to think that schools CAN'T discriminate based on a history of mental illness. With so many people applying for so few spots, a person could be rejected for such a past and the school would never have to admit it because there are so many other reasons people get rejected when competition is this stiff (geez, who sounds paranoid now?). I interviewed at 6 schools, and I can't think of a time during those interviews that something like that would have come up. I suppose if you have a bad semeter with a lot of dropped classes, you could say you had a health problem. Would they ask what it was? Sure, but there's no reason you have to tell them. I would like to think that most physicians understand people like privacy with regard to their health issues and wouldn't think twice if you politely deferred from explaining yours. It sucks that you have to hide this problem; the mental illness stigma is still alive and well in the world, and by hiding your history, you're feeding the problem. Your job, however, is not to be a crusader and martyr yourself on the adcomm altar in the name of mental illness. Your job is to get into medical school and help people with your problem. Then when you have a national reputation in the field, THEN you come clean with your past and it could change the world. Good luck.
