One of the secondaries I'm working on asks about an obstacle that I have overcome and how it has defined me. The only thing that really comes to mind is my struggle to overcome an anxiety disorder that I have finally worked to get under control in the past year. Is this something that could end up hurting my chances of admission if I choose to write about it?
Whatever you do, avoid talking about any mental health issues if you are applying for medical school even if you think your success at overcoming your illness is something to be proud of. Even though we live in the year 2010, you would be surprised at how many doctors are so ignorant about psychiatric illnesses.
Just as an example to illustrate my point, I will share my uncle's story. My uncle was a manic depressive who was completely stabilized with his medications and was highly functional (he completed 4 university degrees). He was taking a mood stabilizer and needed regular blood testing as his mood stabilizer carried the risk of causing neutropenia. One day, he felt like he was perfectly healthy, he got tired of his blood testing and wanted to be "normal" so he stopped his medications.
After my uncle abruptly stopped his medications, he had a a complete psychotic breakdown and heard voices - which he never experienced before or during the time he took medication. A lot of patients who take psych meds can get psychotic if they suddenly withdraw their medications even if they previously never experienced psychosis. Despite those symptoms, my uncle was sane enough to realize something was wrong,saw his doctor and agreed to take a sick leave.
As soon as the director of my uncle's residency (who he got along with) found out that he had to be hospitalized for this psychotic breakdown, he wanted to kick him out of the residency even though a psychiatrist managed to stabilize him about 2 months later with a combination of mood stabilizer and antipsychotic medications. His director told him he didn't want him to treat patients. He had to provide a number of doctor letters to convince him to accept him back in the rounds. My uncle was very hurt by the director's reaction because he admired him and enjoyed learning from him. All of the nurses also found out and they viewed him differently and didn't trust his judgment even though he was stabilized. You can only imagine the humiliation he went through.
Despite that difficult event, my uncle eventually finished his residency and eventually specialized in cardiology. However, that is not the end of my story. When my uncle applied for his medical license he had yet more hurdles. In one state, the application asked if the candidate had a history of psychiatric illness. My uncle had been stable for about 3 years after his hospitalization but apparently, that was not good enough for the state. His psychiatrist's medical report (who had followed him for 15 years) was not sufficient and he was sent to 2 psychiatric experts appointed by the Board. It took him about 4 months till he was given his license.
In other words, when it comes to mental health issues, we are still in the Middle Ages/Witch Hunting days. Whatever you do, if you can avoid it, only share your mental health history with those in your close entourage. Avoid telling classmates or future colleagues or professors about your condition unless you need to divulge your condition for your medical license application.
Out of all medical health issues today, mental health is the LAST THING you want to share with others. Not even your friends should know unless you know them extremely well. Most of my uncle's friends are completely oblivious of his condition and would never guess he ever was sick or is presently taking medications for a psych condition. My uncle is doing far better than the average person - really hard to believe.
Until everyone - especially doctors- are more accepting of psychiatric illnesses, you have to be extremely cautious about who you divulge your medical history to. If you write about your anxiety problem in your application for medical school, you are playing with fire. I wouldn't do it. Don't tell me I didn't warn you...
Try to find legal methods (eg. exercise, religion/spiritual practices and meditation) to combat stress as stress can aggravate your condition. Find a good physician/psychiatrist to follow you.
