Mesearch?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
M

Metta

Human
10+ Year Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Messages
53
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Like most of us here, my goal is a doctorate and career in clinical psychology. While I've been involved in research projects on a couple of topics, I'm most interested in continuing my work on ADHD.

The wrinkle is that I also have ADHD. The topic fascinates me for a number of reasons, well beyond my own experiences with it. I have many other interests within psychology as well. I've dealt with my own issues quite extensively in therapy, so I'm confident of my boundaries. And I know not to focus obsessively on my ADHD diagnosis in grad school essays and interviews. It is something I have to mention in essays and interviews, though, as it's an important piece of my background.

I've heard terms like "mesearch" applied to the situation of someone whose research overlaps his/her own diagnosis, and my impression is that there are a lot of negative connotations to it. But I've also heard expressions such as "research is mesearch" suggesting that it's not uncommon.

Given all of that, does anyone have any thoughts on how this issue might be perceived by the folks who'd be evaluating my grad school applications? Any suggestions on how I might minimize any potential negative impact? Other words of wisdom or warning? Thanks much!
 
Sadly, I think there is a stigma against people with psychological disorders in applications to clinical psych programs. This isn't really a question of limitations, rather, it has to do with motivation behind pursuing this career. Sometimes people with disorders will be interested in the field in order to better understand themselves, and I guess this usually doesn't turn out well.

With that said, I am in an extremely similar situation as you. I am diagnosed with AD/HD and I am about to go to graduate school to work in a lab focused on AD/HD. My undergraduate advisor made sure that I did not mention my own diagnosis in my statement of purpose or interviews. Instead, I focused on other experiences which shaped my interest in AD/HD. Aside from calling your motivations into question, revealing a diagnosis can be seen as overly disclosing. Once you begin a program, it would absolutely be appropriate to tell your advisor, but I wouldn't mention it until that point.
 
Deleted
 
Last edited:
Unfortunately, there is a lot of negativity within the field when it comes to students/therapists having psychological problems.

I think that depending on the disorder, the severity of the negative attention can increase or decrease.

I have dealt with some serious psychological problems for a long time. I actually mentioned it in my admissions essay-- however, I didn't make a big deal of it, and didn't disclose my entire history. I mentioned just one part of it, in a very subtle way, and incorporated it into how being in psychodymanic therapy fueled my interest and decisions. When I went for my doctoral interview, my interviewers said that it was my essay that made me stand out-- and they loved the fact that I am engaged in psychodynamic therapy-- and have been for quite awhile now. I did not reveal specific diagnoses in my essay.

Many individuals in the field make a big deal about students and therapists having psychological problems-- The best part? In my time in doctoral school, I have become close with a few people in the program-- and interestingly, they all have a diagnosable problem and/or are on meds. Psychological problems obviously exist on a spectrum-- there are some much more serious than others-- but as for those individuals who don't think that they could benefit from therapy, or that they don't have any type of personality trait issues (not full-blown disorders)... well, that's just naive. And I have seen that in my program. Very naive.
 
I have the same question. The reality is I am interesting in clinical psychology because of my own psychological problems as well as my friends' and family members'. There are other reasons but that is the primary reason. I don't know how I can get around not mentioning this in my personal statement or in interviews, but I gather that its not a good idea. How have other people gotten around this problem?
 
in regards to adhd specifically:

you might have considerable difficulty with the cognitive demands of administering some of the tests. i would be concerned that you are setting yourself up, trying to do tasks that are intentionally made to elicit deficits in adhd individuals.

i think that part of being an effective researcher/clinician is knowing your own abilities and playing to them. reason #802: psydr is not a therapist.
 
ladysky61 said:
I have the same question. The reality is I am interesting in clinical psychology because of my own psychological problems as well as my friends' and family members'. There are other reasons but that is the primary reason. I don't know how I can get around not mentioning this in my personal statement or in interviews, but I gather that its not a good idea. How have other people gotten around this problem?
Click to expand...

I apologize in advance for sounding blunt, but if you don't want to mention it, just don't mention it. If there are other reasons, talk about those other reasons. Or just don't talk about it directly at all.

I think a lot of the negative reaction to people getting into psychology because of their own (or their family's) psychological problems is because it's nearly universal, and therefore at best fairly uninteresting. At worse, it could make it seem like your own issues are so important to you that your patient's would be secondary.
 
PSYDR said:
in regards to adhd specifically:

you might have considerable difficulty with the cognitive demands of administering some of the tests. i would be concerned that you are setting yourself up, trying to do tasks that are intentionally made to elicit deficits in adhd individuals.

i think that part of being an effective researcher/clinician is knowing your own abilities and playing to them. reason #802: psydr is not a therapist.
Click to expand...

Psydr - we love you even if you're not a therapist😉!

To the OP, I think the dilemma you face goes to the heart of being a psychologist, or at least a therapist. Most of us in the field have, in my experience, some personal reasons for finding psychology fascinating. Often our research is mesearch -- this is true of the dissertation I'm currently working on.

I think each person strikes their own balance about how to use themselves in their work as psychologists. Some are very disclosing from the get-go about their own challenges because that's the only way that feels authentic for them. The downside of this approach is that you may turn off some people, thus limiting your opportunities to get a foot in the door and show what you can do. Some of us try to keep our personal lives out entirely -- at least in terms of what we reveal to others. Probably the majority fall somewhere in the middle -- we pick and choose when and how much to share of ourselves, with patients and within our academic and professional communities. This is a choice you'll likely struggle with over and over again. There's no right answer. Just be careful about oversharing until you know who you're dealing with.

Good luck to you.:luck:
 
Everyone in the field who I asked about personal statements (in general or specific to reading over my own) has told me not to disclose a personal struggle/issue as a reason for a research interest. Whether you are interested in ADHD because you have it or diabetes because your father has it, a good model for demonstrating your interest might be:

"My interest in X is longstanding. My first experience working with people who suffer from X is... / I worked with Dr. X doing research on X and learned..."

Your personal statement, in my opinion (and the opinion of ever professor I've ever asked), is an explanation of your research/academic/clinical experiences, and how they relate to the work you hope to do in graduate school and beyond. It's not about your PERSONAL life. Perhaps during an interview or once you are admitted it would become much more approriate (or even necessary) to disclose your personal experiences.
 
I believe there is a stigma to revealing that you have been diagnosed with a psychological disorder at one time, as if that means you might be incapable of competing the work or withstanding the rigors of grad school - it feels to me at times very patronizing of therapists, as if their patients are not as competent if not more so than them in various fields (psychology or other). There are patients on a wide continuum of severity, and it feels as if revealing that you were a patient one time is a red flag; I believe it to be very insensitive to not ask if it will interfere with graduate work (and if it does not, then to not prod further). If the situation involved criticizing African-Americans for doing research in African-American research areas, or LGBT individuals doing research in LGBT issues, it might be considered prejudice. Is the same question raised to them whether their personal experience takes precedence over the interests of the patient? It at least doesn't seem like a reason to reject them from grad school unless they are extremely overzealous.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
"believe it to be very insensitive to not ask if it will interfere with graduate work (and if it does not, then to not prod further)"


boston,

the problem with that, is that self reports suffer from terrible reliability and validity. for example: try asking an old person if they are still able to drive. or your parents who the best son/daughter in the world is. this is why we have objective measures.
 
Metta said:
Like most of us here, my goal is a doctorate and career in clinical psychology. While I've been involved in research projects on a couple of topics, I'm most interested in continuing my work on ADHD.

The wrinkle is that I also have ADHD. The topic fascinates me for a number of reasons, well beyond my own experiences with it. I have many other interests within psychology as well. I've dealt with my own issues quite extensively in therapy, so I'm confident of my boundaries. And I know not to focus obsessively on my ADHD diagnosis in grad school essays and interviews. It is something I have to mention in essays and interviews, though, as it's an important piece of my background.

I've heard terms like "mesearch" applied to the situation of someone whose research overlaps his/her own diagnosis, and my impression is that there are a lot of negative connotations to it. But I've also heard expressions such as "research is mesearch" suggesting that it's not uncommon.

Given all of that, does anyone have any thoughts on how this issue might be perceived by the folks who'd be evaluating my grad school applications? Any suggestions on how I might minimize any potential negative impact? Other words of wisdom or warning? Thanks much!
Click to expand...

Hey Metta,

I would like to encourage you and say that 100 years ago no one knew about ADHD, and many talented and successful people with ADHD didn't have the negative consequences of their diagnosis damaging their professional life. I consider that medical model which many psychologists still stick to is not only biased, but also harmful and, I would say, often useless when it goes to therapy.


Dr. Edward (Ned) Hallowell, MD, http://www.additudemag.com/authorID/7.html , a practicing psychiatrist and founder of the Hallowell Center for Cognitive and Emotional Health in Sudbury, Massachusetts started his research of ADHD because he does have ADHD!


I really like his book "Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood" (Hallowell, E.M., 1994).


However, if I were you I would not disclose the "diagnosis information" when you apply to a PhD program. First thing is that there is a huge stigma related to requirements to psychologists' mental health. By the way, I have just been to a regional APA professional conference and was surprised to learn that openness to diversity and multiculturalism is related to emotional instability! The more unstable, the more open! Doesn't it contradict stigmatized idea about emotional instability?


You don't know the faculty, and it would be risky to label yourself with a "DIAGNOSIS" when you apply. After all, many people have never been diagnosed and they are nevertheless pretty successful, smart, and even outstanding. Many countries have not developed a polished diagnostic approach to all kinds of mental conditions, especially to those which are relatively mild… People with such conditions continue to function, and succeed because they do not have the label up their sleeve. Also: people who have ADHD have many positive traits such as open-mindness, talent, multitasking and many more. Many medically oriented psychologists ignore this fact…


My idea is: it is time to change popular one-sided beliefs about conditions which have been labeled with all sorts of diagnosis (thanks DSM-IV-TR!!!)
Good luck to you! :luck:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom