Molecular Bio Grad student seeking support

[biomajor]

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Hey All

i was just wondering if there was any info out there on students wishing to persue a career as physicians with certain disabilities. When i began to experiance some difficulty, primarely about the future, and began to get depressed i was diagnosed with OCD. However although its been effecting me for some time i have mannaged to graduate magna cum laude with a B.Sc. in biology, recieving departmental honors and a biology excellence award upon graduation. I have wanted to be a physician my whole life. ever since i could remember my mom and i going to go visit my dad in Mexico when he was in med school......but this whole thing has really bummed me out, and actually deturred me from taking the MCAT's, becayse i figure how can i be a physician with a "mental illness" i guess. although this is all very difficult for me and since i did not want to stop going to school, i was accepted into an M.Sc program in NY in molecular Biology, and am currently doing that along with teaching undergraduate science labs at the same university. i am an extreemly well rounded preson, played division 1&2 lacrosse in college, am extreemly personable, and perfectly adjusted as well as personable....any advice would greatly appreachiated if there is any out there
thanks

 

[LukeWhite]

bio,

You'd be amazed at how many med students and physicians have some sort of emotional or mental dysfunction. Personally, I think that the profession self-selects for it. You surely know that nearly all mental illnesses operate on a continuum of severity such that it's hard to classify certain traits as illness (as the DSM-IV's very arbitrary criteria demonstrate). It sounds from your accomplishments as if you're more than up for the challenges of med school, and frankly, a little OCD probably helps, as there aren't too many other ways to motivate oneself to memorize useless arcana.

So take the MCAT, preferably after going through a comprehensive prep class like Kaplan that will give you a framework within which to study, apply, make note of the challenges you've mentioned to us, and your accomplishments will speak for themselves. You'll probably find that osteopathic schools are a bit more interested in the story, but regardless of where you apply you seem in at least a good position as anyone.

Best of luck!

 

[InductionAgent]

Depression doesn't spare the physician population anymore than the general population as far as I can tell. And OCD and obsessive/compulsive traits might even have a higher rate among physicians than the general populace. Just make sure that you keep up with whatever treatment works for you, and as long as it's not interfering with your ability to study, learn, and practice, no one will think much of it. Getting through your MS program is a good test drive, and should give you confidence that you can make it through medical school.

 

[biomajor]

Depression doesn't spare the physician population anymore than the general population as far as I can tell. And OCD and obsessive/compulsive traits might even have a higher rate among physicians than the general populace. Just make sure that you keep up with whatever treatment works for you, and as long as it's not interfering with your ability to study, learn, and practice, no one will think much of it. Getting through your MS program is a good test drive, and should give you confidence that you can make it through medical school.

i app. the support...you know medical school is hard enough, with out dealing with somthing that causes you to question things 10 X more and im only 22 i guess at a strange point in my life, (or so lots of people tell me) its strange how you dont believe in things untill they come upon you, never believed much at all in psych. but i guess people have experianced worse and have succeeded, and like i said you would never know that ive had any difficulties with this just by looking at me

 

[misyel]

So take the MCAT, preferably after going through a comprehensive prep class like Kaplan that will give you a framework within which to study, apply, make note of the challenges you've mentioned to us, and your accomplishments will speak for themselves. You'll probably find that osteopathic schools are a bit more interested in the story, but regardless of where you apply you seem in at least a good position as anyone.

Best of luck!

I agree, except that you should take Princeton Review instead of Kaplan. =) Good luck! 👍

 

[LukeWhite]

I agree, except that you should take Princeton Review instead of Kaplan. =) Good luck! 👍

Like I said, you can find all sort of mental dysfunction in the medical community 🙂

 

[misyel]

Like I said, you can find all sort of mental dysfunction in the medical community 🙂

That obvious, huh?