Talking about depression I experienced during a hospital stay?

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scimusicgirl

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Wondering if writing about my mental health issues while in the hospital for a brain infection 10yr ago would be a bad idea. The point is I believe I can take care of sick patients better because I understand both the physical and mental toll of a severe illness. I got help for the former, but none for the latter.

My first semester in college a social worker gave a presentation about the mental health issues adolescent cancer patients have. I recognized every single feeling that she discussed. A social worker who didn't even know my name did more for me than an entire team of physicians and all of my loved ones combined, years after the fact.

I want to take care of people's physical health, but I want to take care of their mental health too. Thru my mental health volunteer work, I have counseled people with brain injuries or PTSD after a near death experience. And I don't know how good I would've been at that were it not for my past pain.

So TL;DR, is talking about depression in the context of recovering from a brain infection a bad idea?

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Some people will probably advise you to avoid all discussion of personal mental health issues unless absolutely necessary. Despite calls for "wellness" and the myopic focus on "burnout" at all levels of training, mental health issues still remain a significant source of stigmatization, even in medicine. Whether or not you decide to discuss it depends, I think, on how the topic is presented and how you talk about the experience. I'm assuming that you're considering discussing these things in a personal statement; if so, I would recommend having a mentor familiar with medical admissions review your personal statement before you submit it to ensure that the message you want to convey is actually conveyed appropriately. And, of course, you will need to be prepared to discuss this topic during interviews as you will likely be asked about it directly.
 
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I think it could be a good story to tell. Agree with others that it's safer to discuss because it was a result of your brain infection. It very depends on how you talk about the situation, how moved you and inspired you and how you grew and recovered from the depression. Keep it positive and focussed on the growth and learning experience. I would even advise that you highlight in a positive way how the social worker made you feel heard and validated (as opposed to highlighting that you didn't get the same from your doctors and family)

Happy to hear that you're doing well now. :)
 
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Thank you all for your feedback. The reason I want to tell this story is because it shows my ability to look beyond physical health when taking care of someone. We can't leave that all up to psychiatrists or psychologists, especially when a patient is unable to express him/herself. Plus mentioning the social worker hopefully shows how much I value the contributions doctors and non-doctors make to healthcare. Again, thank you all.
 
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Thank you all for your feedback. The reason I want to tell this story is because it shows my ability to look beyond physical health when taking care of someone. We can't leave that all up to psychiatrists or psychologists, especially when a patient is unable to express him/herself. Plus mentioning the social worker hopefully shows how much I value the contributions doctors and non-doctors make to healthcare. Again, thank you all.

That's really great! I think that's a great story to tell especially when you put it that way.
 
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I think that it is far better to focus on what you have done since reaching adulthood to help people who are sick and suffering than to tie your interest and ability to help others to your experience as a child and the influence that a social worker had on your understanding of your own illness. YMMV
 
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