Question about a taboo

[psychic241]

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My son is very eager to become to go to Med school and become a doctor. Earlier in his life he was diagnosed with a major depressive disorder and subsequently put on multiple medications which had severe side effects. He ended up cutting his arms rather severely, with large scars that still persist. Can anyone shed any light on whether this would be a significant factor in his participation in medical school? Would this add a ton of stress and/or would he be ostracized for this? Any input is greatly appreciated. thank you

 

[tantacles]

My son is very eager to become to go to Med school and become a doctor. Earlier in his life he was diagnosed with a major depressive disorder and subsequently put on multiple medications which had severe side effects. He ended up cutting his arms rather severely, with large scars that still persist. Can anyone shed any light on whether this would be a significant factor in his participation in medical school? Would this add a ton of stress and/or would he be ostracized for this? Any input is greatly appreciated. thank you

My perception is that most medical students are keenly aware of the crippling effect mental illness has and would be sympathetic. Judging from my own experience with [non-mental] illness, most medical students don't ostracize, but they love to ask questions. Considering the fact that psychiatry is a field that medical students are required to do a clinical rotation in, those questions might get in depth to the point of violating his privacy, but as long as declining to answer probing questions isn't a problem, it shouldn't be too traumatizing.

In any case, he'll have the option of hiding his past mental health issues from anyone who he feels might be judgmental if it comes to that. The bullying from high school generally goes away, but there will always be people who can't empathize with someone's situation. I think he's less likely to encounter those types of people in medicine, though, than in any other career.

That being said, what will trigger a depressive episode is different for every person. Shadowing doctors will give him a much better idea of what he's in for.

 

[theseeker4]

My son is very eager to become to go to Med school and become a doctor. Earlier in his life he was diagnosed with a major depressive disorder and subsequently put on multiple medications which had severe side effects. He ended up cutting his arms rather severely, with large scars that still persist. Can anyone shed any light on whether this would be a significant factor in his participation in medical school? Would this add a ton of stress and/or would he be ostracized for this? Any input is greatly appreciated. thank you

Med school itself will induce a ton of stress, so that is something for him to discuss with his doctor, of course. Having scars may cause the occasional question, but he has no need to explain his entire situation. His medical history is private and will remain so to classmates, and will only be revealed if he chooses to reveal it. In medicine like anything else, there are good and bad people (or thoughtful and thoughtless if you prefer) so there may be a handful of students who would ostracize him for having a (past) mental illness, but it won't be a group of students after class surrounding him and calling him names, a la middle school. There is no need for it to prevent him from being successful in medical school, and I am sure the stress of classes/exams will be much greater than any ostracization.

 

[QofQuimica]

My son is very eager to become to go to Med school and become a doctor. Earlier in his life he was diagnosed with a major depressive disorder and subsequently put on multiple medications which had severe side effects. He ended up cutting his arms rather severely, with large scars that still persist. Can anyone shed any light on whether this would be a significant factor in his participation in medical school? Would this add a ton of stress and/or would he be ostracized for this? Any input is greatly appreciated. thank you

How well-controlled is his depression now? Is he on a suitable regimen of meds, and does he have a strong support system? If not, he should not go to medical school until he is properly treated. It's less an issue of him being ostracized, and more an issue of him being stressed beyond his ability to cope with it. People can and do commit suicide while in medical school or residency. There have been studies showing that large numbers of med students and residents are clinically depressed, even some without a prior history of depression. A person coming in with a history of severe depression will be especially vulnerable.

Choice of specialty will be very important as well. The psychiatric effects of disruptions in the normal sleep-wake cycle, especially for those with bipolar disease, should not be underestimated. For example, a specialty like emergency medicine, where there are frequent changes in work schedule, would not be an optimal choice for a person with a known severe psychiatric disorder.

I agree with the suggestion that your son should discuss his plans with his psychiatrist. He should also have a backup career plan in mind in case medicine is not a realistic option for him. The training process in medicine is very rigid and regimented, with limits on what accommodations can be made to help those with mental illnesses. There are many other ways to contribute to society and to help people that would be more amenable to giving him a strong chance of success and stability compared with medicine. Being a physician can be a wonderful thing, but it is not worth him losing his life to try to become one.

 

[DrMidlife]

He won't be the only cutter in med school. That part of the story adds up to a ton of compassion for patients. Med students, on average, won't be like junior highers, looking for easy targets for ridicule. Med students, on average, will just be curious. Other cutters will, on average, offer support, and vasculature jokes.

I agree with the above about looking at the stress level of med school and medical practice. It's a lot of stress, and it's unavoidable.

Whether or not to be open about his background is another question. For the time being, assume it should not be disclosed; it should be his educated choice whether to "use" the issue as part of his narrative for admission, or not.

If he hasn't started clinical volunteering, it's never too early for that.

Best of luck to you.

 

[psychic241]

My main concern is that he will have to expose his cuts involuntarily, i say this because he has at least a dozen of them all over his left forearm.

 

[DrMidlife]

My main concern is that he will have to expose his cuts involuntarily, i say this because he has at least a dozen of them all over his left forearm.

He can wear long sleeve shirts.

There are veiled women in med school who aren't required to show any skin, ever. There are med students with tattoos that take a lot of creativity to cover up. Lots of surgery scars on necks and faces.

I suggest that by the time he's in med school, he'll have had a million social situations to learn from, which will set him up to make self-protective choices.

Best of luck to you.

 

[tryp]

I have had severe depression for a long time - multiple episodes, treatment resistant, the whole nine yards - and I am doing well in medical school now. Obviously I have a psychiatrist keeping a close eye on me, and I always have, but since I am fairly well treated (not 100% in remission, but the frequency and severity of my episodes is greatly reduced on medication) I mostly do okay.

Luckily, I do not have visible self-injury scars. From what I have experienced though, most students in my class are very accepting when they find out that I have a mental illness.

There are a lot of reasons to have scars - sometimes it's not as obvious as you'd think that it's from self injury. If this is what he wants to do, he shouldn't let the scars stop him. I think things are harder for me than they would be if I didn't have this condition, but it's going to be worth it when I can prevent my patients from experiencing some of the horrible care that I have had to deal with over the years.

 

[Law2Doc]

He can wear long sleeve shirts.

There are veiled women in med school who aren't required to show any skin, ever. There are med students with tattoos that take a lot of creativity to cover up. Lots of surgery scars on necks and faces....

um no. Inaccurate. In med school you will have clinical rotations that involve the OR and sterile procedures. You don't get to wear your long sleeves with your scrubs. This isn't Greys Anatomy.

 

[wholeheartedly]

Two things I guess. I think someone who has dealt with depression can be successful in medical school. The key thing is though to go in with your eyes wide open, knowing the risks, and have a plan and support system in place. It seems like everyone on here who's done this and been successful has been monitored closely and been proactive about preventing problems or addressing them quickly. Those that haven't been successful seem to be scared to seek help and try to tough it out or struggle through it on their own until the negative consequences (poor grades, total breakdown, etc) force them to face up to it. Studies have shown that there is a much higher rate of depression and suicide in physicians that the general population. The risk is there.

He should have a mental health provider to touch base with throughout the process. If your son's depression is well managed and he's discussed it with his psychiatrist and the psychiatrist doesn't have objections then it might ok for him to give it a go. A good psychiatrist is in a unique position to be able to asses this as they have been through the training process he wants to go through and they have insight into your sons condition.

Second. We'd all like to think that medical professionals would be sympathetic to those with mental health issues. Unfortunately there still seems to be a lot of stigma in the medical field regarding this, despite the high percentage of medical professionals that deal with these issues. Discussions about this and related issues come up in the psychiatry residency forum and other places on here quite a bit. Some will be supportive, others won't. There will still be people, students and attendings, that act like someone shouldn't be in the field with those issues. I still think it's best not to disclose this info to anyone who doesn't need to know during his training, outside of a few very close friends he knows well and can trust.

I'm not sure how possible it is to avoid having people see his scars. At some school's students practice certain things on each other, taking a pulse, checking blood pressure, drawing blood that might require him to expose his arm. He doesn't need to explain how he got them though. Maybe just saying something like "bad experience, rather not talk about it" or "long story" if anyone asks would be sufficient? Like it was already said, it might not be as obvious as you think it is.