Stigma Against Applicants with Previous Psychopathology?

[therapist89]

Hi all,

So I am applying to Clinical Psych Ph.D. programs in next year's cycle, and I have some confidence in my stats: 3.8 overall GPA/4.0 Psych GPA, 320+ GRE score, research experience with poster presentations, etc. (though of course I know several other applicants have similar things going for them too in this application process.) However, an issue has come up for me. I have the opportunity to write a piece about my personal mental health and issues I have encountered in a pretty big-name news publication, and I would love to do so to de-stigmatize mental illness, help-seeking, etc.

However, I am concerned about what would happen if I apply and potential faculty see this piece (they would probably be able to find it easily by searching my name.) I feel like I have all my bases covered: I was in a rough place and sought help for it and that is that, I'm applying to these programs not to deal with my own issues but because I'm interested in clinical research, I know not to make my previous mental health issues a component of my personal statement/interviews, etc. Maybe I'm overthinking this, but at the same time from what I've read there seems to be an air of stigma against applicants having previous psychopathology in Clinical Psych Ph.D. programs?

Basically, I'd really appreciate hearing what others have encountered in regard to this issue. My gut is telling me to go ahead and write it and just not include it in my CV - despite the big name pub - but I don't want to disadvantage myself professionally and/or academically. Thank you for your time.

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[A Blue Duck]

"an air of stigma against applicants..."

Revealing past mental illness history is almost never beneficial and sometimes detrimental to applicants for several reasons, none of which I would simplify as being just, "stigma." We are talking about academics and clinicians within the field of clinical psychology. If anyone is going to be aware of stigma in the application process, would it not be them? I'm not saying stigma won't continue to exist, but might there be legitimate reasons why a program would not want a person with a history of serious mental illness (I have no idea about the specifics of your history) working with some of the most vulnerable patients/people we have in society?

Do I think a person with a previous history of serious mental illness can recover and become an excellent clinician and/or researcher? Of course I do. I'm sure it's happened hundreds of times in the past (e.g., Linehan, Jamison). Do I think a person with a history of serious mental illness is at higher risk of failing out of a program or providing incompetent care to their clients? Do individuals with serious mental illness typically have occupational and academic dysfunction? It's going to depend on the specifics of your situation, of course.

 

[deleted656923]

Keep in mind that you're competing against people with similar stats who are marketing themselves as "the perfect candidate," which means you'll have to do the same. Psychologists are NOT immune to heuristics and biases even though they may be experts. I would not recommend disclosing your mental health issues until after you've accepted admission into your program of choice.

 

[eremitestar]

I think this totally depends on the type of mental illness you're talking about and how far removed from it you are. Pretty much everyone in both my MA and PhD programs had been in therapy at some point in their lives for depression or anxiety, but were either in remission or well-managed on medication (i.e., still taking Lexapro and fully able to manage graduate school without special accommodations). Also, my PhD program annually sent out a list of providers in the community willing to provide therapy services at low cost for students in the program (super helpful, since most of us worked as prac students at the university's counseling center and the places in the community that provide low-cost services). So, in my experience, I've seen very little stigma against the more common, well-managed diagnoses. However, I have heard faculty caution against being overly open about a history of brain injury, substance use, or a more severe mental illness because these might raise red flags about ability to complete a training program. I'd also be cautious if you're talking about the recent past, which might lead people to believe it could become a problem again.

For me, if it is a relatively minor and/or common diagnosis that is far enough in the past and well-controlled in the present, I wouldn't be super concerned about it. However, if it's something more severe, more recent, and/or not well-controlled, then I wouldn't do it. Also, the ability to overcome adversity could be seen as a strength, and the publication on your CV wouldn't hurt, either.

 

[Realities]

I have/had several big-name interviews and articles written about me during my junior/senior year of college on the same topic (previous psychopathology and ways of reducing stigma, etc.). Never mentioned them in my apps, didn't seem to affect my chances of getting in one bit.

I wouldn't mention it in your apps, nor would I ever list that kind of thing on my CV (considering it's not really an academic publication). But I don't see how it can hurt if it's something from the past.

 

[honestskyV]

I think sharing mental illness stories are really important. That being said you also don't need to be a martyr. If I were you, I'd ask myself: What are the potential consequences, and can I handle them? And go from there.

Like others have said, the stigma/concern/bias is real. If it's early in your career -- maybe it's not the right time, no reason to 'shoot yourself in the foot.' You'll always have other opportunities to share your story. If you're confident that your stats and qualifications outweigh your mental illness, then piss on the stigma. Do you. But the fact that you want to write it, but leave it off your CV, seems like you're in the gray area. You know it shouldn't impact people's opinion, but you also know it will. If it hurts your career, is that OK, because you've helped shine a (much-needed) light on a mental illness?

When it comes to sharing personal details of your life with the public, you should share only what you're willing to tell your neighbor. Ultimately, it's about how comfortable you are with your mental illness/recovery/story. Say you do write the story, leave it off your CV, and someone else brings it up in an interview? Are you going to freeze and stumble? Or answer gracefully and keep the interview moving?

Hope that helps! Good luck to you.

 

[smalltownpsych]

I self-disclose on a "need to know" basis. If there are good reasons to disclose, then I do it. If not, then I don't. Generally speaking, when applying for a job or school there is usually not much reason to disclose personal information. Although I didn't know that when I applied to grad school and probably over-disclosed because they asked for a "personal statement".

 

[Peacemaker36]

Don't forget that all of your future clients will google you.

 

[MCParent]

Hi all,

So I am applying to Clinical Psych Ph.D. programs in next year's cycle, and I have some confidence in my stats: 3.8 overall GPA/4.0 Psych GPA, 320+ GRE score, research experience with poster presentations, etc. (though of course I know several other applicants have similar things going for them too in this application process.) However, an issue has come up for me. I have the opportunity to write a piece about my personal mental health and issues I have encountered in a pretty big-name news publication, and I would love to do so to de-stigmatize mental illness, help-seeking, etc.

However, I am concerned about what would happen if I apply and potential faculty see this piece (they would probably be able to find it easily by searching my name.) I feel like I have all my bases covered: I was in a rough place and sought help for it and that is that, I'm applying to these programs not to deal with my own issues but because I'm interested in clinical research, I know not to make my previous mental health issues a component of my personal statement/interviews, etc. Maybe I'm overthinking this, but at the same time from what I've read there seems to be an air of stigma against applicants having previous psychopathology in Clinical Psych Ph.D. programs?

Basically, I'd really appreciate hearing what others have encountered in regard to this issue. My gut is telling me to go ahead and write it and just not include it in my CV - despite the big name pub - but I don't want to disadvantage myself professionally and/or academically. Thank you for your time.

Big name publications, you alone will de-stigmatize mental illness, everyone is going to be googling you.... I wonder if I can guess the mental illness...

Jk of course.

The "stigma" is prettymuch only against people who say "I had depression [or whatever] and so I am uniquely well-suited and specially able to helping others recover from depression."

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

In general I'd recommend not disclosing, but the article makes that tougher. Additionally I'd be VERY wary if the area of research you are interested in is what you previously dealt with by it'd be hard to argue it isn't MeSearch...which would give most any mentor pause.

 

[DynamicDidactic]

it sounds like you will be ok. Just practice a stock answer if someone asks you about the article. Though, I doubt most faculty will care enough to google your name.

 

[Doctor Eliza]

Why not do the article using a pseudonym?