QUOTED: ADD and OCD, will they affect my chance at getting accepted

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I will be starting as a pre-med/psychology student at OSU this fall. I have always been an excellent student and graduated with honors from high school (4.23 gpa in my last quarter) so I am not concerned with my ability to do well.

However I was diagnosed with OCD and ADD in the past and am taking medication for them. I have both conditions under very good control so that they interfere very little with me on a day to day basis. I have no doubt that I can complete the necessary work and become a successful physician.

My concern is that since I have been clincially diagnosed with both conditions in the past they will still show up on a medical record. Will either of these conditions hinder my chances of being accepted into a medical school or obtaining professional licensure in the future?

The basic answer is no.

Your medical record remains private throughout the application process. As long as your medical problems do not require any accomodation, and as long as they won't affect your performance, you do not need to mention them at all. After being accepted, you will be required to complete a medical history (for student/occupational health) -- this is also kept private from your school or residency, again unless it will affect your schooling/employment, which is a decision you make with your physician.

ADD and OCD do tend to get worse with stress -- information overload, sleep deprivation, etc. So, it will be important to keep an eye on these as you move forward, and trust those around you for input as you are often the last person to notice a deterioration.

Chronic medication use, if prescribed by a physician, is not a problem for licensure or practice, as long as you are not "impaired" by your meds. There is no easy way to define impairment.

On a separate note, it is a sad state of affairs when people can get a 4.23 / 4.00 GPA. Not your fault, but the system is just inflating grades.

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