Need advice from depressed medical students

[Luckygirlsadheart]

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I got accepted to medical school and plan to start in the fall. I know I should be happy, and I am, but I'm predominantly nervous because...I have depression. I'm in the process of recovery, but it is a long and arduous process, and because I have being suffering from depression for years now, my stress response is hyperactivated. I get stressed out over nothing. Can anyone speak about their experiences with depression in medical school? Should I reconsider going to medical school if I'm not fully recovered come summer time?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Should you reconsider going to medical school if you're depressed? No, plenty of people are in medical school with a variety of health problems and mental health issues are frankly overrepresented. That being said the issue isn't the depression, but whether or not you'll have it under control, be aware of it and yourself, and whether you will have the tools and a safety net to maintain a high level of function.

There's really no sugar coating this, one of the biggest reasons people remediate a year is due to not having full control over their mental health. If you and your psychologist/psychiatrist agree that you aren't at your peak, then deferring medical school for a year may be a smart option.

 

[Luckygirlsadheart]

As at @Goro has said, med school can break even a mentally optimal individual.
That said, are you going to a school far from home? Do you have a support system? Are your stressors environmental, personal, related to studying or school? These are things it seems to be need to be figured out first so that when they arise, you can address them or avoid all together. I agree with @Drrrrrr. Celty that before hand, I'd work with a psychologist or psychiatrist to help figure out if you're ready to undertake the mental aspects of med school.

I will be likely living about an hour and 15 minutes away from my family. So they will be close, and we will likely see each other hopefully once a week if even for a meal, but far enough so that I will have to get an apartment. Studying makes me stressed. I am not going to lie. School stress has always been a major trigger. I have had many breakdowns over school stress in the past. Also, I am very, very close to my family, so it will make me really sad when I have to turn time with them down for studying.

That being said, I love science and I miss being in class. I definitely want to learn more about medicine, and I like the camaraderie that comes out of attending medical school. My therapist basically has the wait and see attitude since we are a few months away. But as someone who puts a secure future before mental health (as wrong or right as that may be), I'd find it hard to turn away from medicine even if I wasn't perfectly okay come summer time. I never want to be depressed over "what if I became a doctor?" Furthermore, I have no backup plan and cannot see myself doing anything else.

So you can probably see why I'm torn. It's basically a choice between mental health or academic interest/financial security...financial Security is no joke in this day and age. Medicine is practically the only field you're guaranteed to have a job in.

 

[Luckygirlsadheart]

I agree. However if you aren't mentally prepared then you risk getting less financial security (i.e. More loans and no way to pay it off) than if you hadn't gone to med school. It's hard to know what's the best choice for you. Just be prepared that med school is stressful. And after you finish the stress doesn't go away. The stressor just change. Work with your therapist to develop good coping methods and stress management skills and hopefully you should be okay. Good luck OP

Thank you for all of the advice, my friend. Best of luck to you, as well! 🙂

 

[Goro]

Too many red flags here. Your putting $ over your physical well being, and are headed directly into the summit of a live volcano. Get healed first, because med schools aren't going anywhere.

I will be likely living about an hour and 15 minutes away from my family. So they will be close, and we will likely see each other hopefully once a week if even for a meal, but far enough so that I will have to get an apartment. Studying makes me stressed. I am not going to lie. School stress has always been a major trigger. I have had many breakdowns over school stress in the past. Also, I am very, very close to my family, so it will make me really sad when I have to turn time with them down for studying.

That being said, I love science and I miss being in class. I definitely want to learn more about medicine, and I like the camaraderie that comes out of attending medical school. My therapist basically has the wait and see attitude since we are a few months away. But as someone who puts a secure future before mental health (as wrong or right as that may be), I'd find it hard to turn away from medicine even if I wasn't perfectly okay come summer time. I never want to be depressed over "what if I became a doctor?" Furthermore, I have no backup plan and cannot see myself doing anything else.

So you can probably see why I'm torn. It's basically a choice between mental health or academic interest/financial security...financial Security is no joke in this day and age. Medicine is practically the only field you're guaranteed to have a job in.

 

[DOFOSHO]

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[MrChance2]

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[cbrons]

I got accepted to medical school and plan to start in the fall. I know I should be happy, and I am, but I'm predominantly nervous because...I have depression. I'm in the process of recovery, but it is a long and arduous process, and because I have being suffering from depression for years now, my stress response is hyperactivated. I get stressed out over nothing. Can anyone speak about their experiences with depression in medical school? Should I reconsider going to medical school if I'm not fully recovered come summer time?

You should get treated aggressively before starting med school. If that means drugs, it means drugs. If that means biweekly therapy, it means biweekly therapy. If that means ECT, it means ECT.

The suicide epidemic amongst medical students illustrates how bad of a decision it is to start medical school with untreated or under-treated depression (and mental illness in general).

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[Rekt]

Maybe you'll just be ahead of the game since baseline depression is apart of medical school!

 

[abolt18]

I got accepted to medical school and plan to start in the fall. I know I should be happy, and I am, but I'm predominantly nervous because...I have depression. I'm in the process of recovery, but it is a long and arduous process, and because I have being suffering from depression for years now, my stress response is hyperactivated. I get stressed out over nothing. Can anyone speak about their experiences with depression in medical school? Should I reconsider going to medical school if I'm not fully recovered come summer time?

As someone who generally is very optimistic and has significant emotional fortitude, med school has caused me to reach my lowest at times. Probably still not anything near a clinical level of depression, but it has definitely put me into a funk more than once. It took me a while to open up and talk about that sort of stuff with my wife.

I think that having the insight you do, knowing you have this problem and that you require help, will help you to no end. Establish a great support system. Stay grounded and in touch with your help, and you'll be able to slug through the big slumps. If you honestly don't believe you can handle it, then don't make the jump, but no one can tell you but you. Best of luck.