Medical Will PTSD diagnosis affect my licensing (Physician MD)?

[gutonc]

While transferring my care, I just found that one of the diagnoses given to me for insurance was PTSD. and Depression.

How much should this affect my licensing? Certain states like California are very stringent about mental health history and licensing and I know that several ask for records if you have a history.

I went through some experiences that affected me but I have never been hospitalized, never taken a leave of absence due to mental health, and it has never interfered with my ability to deliver care.
However I have seen a psychiatrist regularly.

I attend a top 20 school and have handled the rigors (no leave of absence etc) but am very concerned about how this will affect me. Is there any way to mitigate this? Should i pay by cash from now on?Would that even matter since i already have PTSD in my history?

Licensing as a physician? Pharmacist? Psychologist? Physical Therapist?

As a physician, this won't have any significant impact. The questions you'll be asked are along the lines of whether you have any physical or mental health conditions that could impact your ability to safely practice medicine. There are plenty of physicians with mental health issues such as GAD, depression, PTSD, addiction, etc, that are well controlled and do not impact their ability to practice medicine safely. When asked that question, you will answer "no".

If asked if you've ever been diagnosed with such a condition, you should answer yes and then explain. Permission in medicine is much easier to obtain than forgiveness.

If you're not talking about medicine (there are lots of other healthcare professionals on SDN), I can't help you.

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[southerndoc]

Thank you so much for replying. It is for a physicians MD licensure. I will definitely keep that in mind. If asked to explain and then asked to provide documentation, I would have many years of documentation (just outpatient for medication or therapy). Still, could this lead to some kind of monitoring? I have read so many horror stories that I am a bit worried about whether I should just stick to states where they do not ask (if you have ever had PTSD, depression etc).

Do you think i should pay with cash?Are people just paranoid who do this? A few people I saw said they paid with cash due to similar fears.

It definitely does not affect my ability to perform (at least not to the level below my peers). I think my performance otherwise (medical school, performance, other accomplishments result, etc) would attest to that but i also know little about licensure and a lot about stigma.

Thank you again!

As @gutonc said, most will ask if your condition impacts your ability to safely practice medicine. Pay who with cash? Can you even pay with cash at all during the pandemic?

There are many, many, many ER physicians, trauma surgeons, paramedics, firefighters, etc. who have PTSD. I think I have a degree of it. Never been diagnosed, but I have flashbacks of things I saw during my paramedic days.

People get licenses are being arrested for violent crimes. I don't think you will have trouble getting a license. If you do, then you probably have grounds for litigation against the state licensing board if it doesn't impact your ability to practice medicine.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Agree with the rest of the thread. It's a non issue. You won't be asked to explain anything. You're unlikely to need to report it, except perhaps in some of the "worst" states for issues like this (I believe FL has been ridic with their questions). Plenty of things to worry about in life, this isn't one of them.

 

[lord999]

Agree with the above, however, there's been huge strides in the past decade to humanize mental health care for practitioners. I'll say for CA since all practitioners go through the same mental health process that I personally know many colleagues who were hospitalized for an episode who had no problems at all with licensure. CA just wants to know that if you had such an episode, that you have been evaluated and are on or have resolved it as long as there was not criminal behavior attached to it. If you visit a psychiatrist on a regular basis and have an established care or treatment plan, you should not get any grief in the process though they may want to check up on the records from time to time.