Mental Illness & Medical School

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

<p>Hello.</p>

<p>I'm writing out of concern for my future. </p>

<p>I'm a junior in psychology at a top 50 research university looking into psychiatry who happens to suffer from a bipolar spectrum disorder (a.k.a. an atypical bipolar disorder). Most of the time I am depressed and despite two years of trying different medications I still have significant symptoms and more-or-less weekly mood swings. It is a disruptive force in my daily life and is the main reason I have almost given up on my dream of medical school and am looking at nurse practitioner school.</p>

<p>Currently I take the minimum full-time courseload (12 credits instead of the usual 16) at my college. First semester freshman year was before I was medicated and, while taking physics, organic chemistry, linear algebra, and two psych courses, I got a mere 3.25 (B, B, B, B+, A). After taking a semester off for severe depression, I came back (while still fairly depressed) and got a 3.75 and 3.9 (doing an underload), pulling my GPA up to 3.57. Even if I underload for the next two years I can still graduate on time, but will likely only be cum laude.</p>

<p>My concern is that this horrible disease that has prevented me from reaching my full potential (I was a National Merit Finalist, 2320 SAT, 35 ACT, 14 APs) will also prevent me from getting into medical school. I only recently discovered my love of the medical aspect of psychology and subsequently delved into psychopharmacology and clinical psychiatry. I would be doing a post-baccalaureate pre-medical year to prepare for medical school and redo my science courses.</p>

<p>*Should I take the easier road and go to school to be a Psychiatric NP (3-5 years, lower salary, less autonomy) or push through to medical school (8-9 years, higher salary, more autonomy)?
*How difficult is medical school normally and would I be able to handle it?
(Keep in mind that as part of my treatment I must avoid sleep deprivation as it can trigger mood swings. Also, my medications tend to be sedating and make it hard to get up early in the morning.)
*If I do go to medical school, when should I disclose my illness? How do I do it? Do I seek accommodations as I am doing in college? Who do I tell?
*Any other advice?</p>

<p>This problem has plagued me for many months. If I were not so ill I would not hesitate to pursue medical school, but I feel I must be realistic. If I cannot afford to be sleep deprived and have trouble with large amounts of work, how will I ever get through it?</p>

<p>I look forward to a response. Thanks.</p>

2

<p>

This makes a standard medical school track simply impossible. Even medical school itself, to say nothing of residency, includes thirty-hour shifts – at some points, twice a week.</p>

<p>With that said, a school might be willing to accommodate this and adjust your schedule for it – in fact I could even imagine that they might be legally required to do so. Not sure.</p>

3

<p>Standard medical school would certainly not work for me. However, I’ve heard that residencies are more flexible when it comes to mental illness.</p>

<p>I would hope that they would help me adjust my schedule. Bipolar Disorder is considered a “golden ticket” in the world of health insurance. It is also covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with proper documentation, but that is generally limited to employment-related activities. Even so, many medical schools based in larger universities (including the one I associate with) make accommodations for disabilities recognized under the ADA.</p>

4

<p>If you are a bright ambitious kid, HS can feel stressful, athletic teams, ECs, leadership, classes, homework, APs, college applications- busy, busy, busy, intense life. Then you get into a great university and think you’re safe.</p>

<p>On to a top university, classes are made up of all the bright kids, and then graded on a curve (in some places), Greek or not? Athletics? Find ECs, Find leadership, homework and no one takes attendance, entire term mark based on 2 exams in some classes, huge classes, small classes, picking a major…you only thought HS was hard.</p>

<p>Add in roommate issues, potential loneliness, no matter who says college was great, nearly everyone is faced with finding new friends in a place where everyone does NOT have lunch and nutrition break at the same time :wink: You thought HS was hard, but it is way easier to miss the mark in university- the profs don’t make you attend, no one makes you study, it is easy to get lost, your academic success in incumbent upon you developing the right study habits and if you were a straight S student, then you are getting your first ever B or even C.</p>

<p>University was hard, but you did all you needed to do, got the marks, got the test scores & ECs & LORs and got into medical school.</p>

<p>Guess what, the sheer volume of work is even more intense than college AND you are faced with making an entirely new group of friends…with a smaller group from which to choose. And that smaller group is self-selected, hard core, studying, perhaps not the most socially adept group, and they are ALL under the most intense stress of their lives.</p>

<p>The most well adjusted kids will have times where they don’t sleep enough, don’t eat right, don’t get enough exercise, don’t have fun and everyone is likely to have a night where they cry or want to cry about the misery of whatever is overwhelming them that moment.</p>

<p>How have you dealt with the intensity of a HS career where you were able to get into a top university? How well have you handled the transition? How well can you handle another exponential toughening of all aspects of everyday life.</p>

<p>I have a kid in medical school; I have another kid who thought about med school, but knows her limits and physically when she overfaces herself she gets sick, like 2-4-6 weeks seriously ill. Her immune system is no good and proper rest is essential. No way she could handle the demands of medical school and residency and do it well, every time she got sick and got behind it would be defeating. She wisely chose another path; as I watch the sibling in med school and recognise that kids long time amazing energy level and stamina level and general health, I know the other kid chose wisely as it may have ended very badly for her.</p>

<p>Only you can choose, but if you do not choose med school, do not look at is as bi polar ruining your life, but that you should choose an education and career path which enable you to actually experience the best lifestyle possible.</p>

<p>Ending up in uncontrolled bipolar episodes is not going to give you a great life; don’t care what others think care what you personally experience each day. No one who judges you has to live your life, so their opinion should not be considered if it makes you feel badly!</p>

5

<p>I know I’m not answering your questions but… I think you should also consider what Psych NP vs Psychiatrist do. I know 1 psych NP who does evaluation and talk therapy and meds whereas psychiatrists generally do evaluations and meds rarely talk therapy.</p>

6

<p>Thank you all for your responses! I hope they continue to come in.</p>

<p>Somemom - I appreciate that you included a story about your kids. My own mother has constantly recommended against medical school for that exact reason, but I feel powerless to resist. I am also trying not to view Bipolar Disorder as a catastrophic force, but it didn’t fully hit me until senior year of high school and since then I have had innumerable problems.</p>

<p>Milkweed - I have considered that fact as well as the Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) track and Clinical Psych Ph.D. While I have found I much prefer clinical work to research, I am primarily interested in the clinical areas of evaluating and diagnosing patients and prescribing and managing medication, especially in complex or ambiguous cases. I have some skill in talk therapy, but that isn’t what I spend my free time reading about.</p>

7

<p>If your illness was well controlled, then I wouldn’t have any hesitation suggesting medical school for you. However, I suggest trying to get your mental illness under control before undertaking medicine if it’s going to have as much of an impact as you say. Medical school is hard. For anyone, mental illness or not. In fact, many med students develop mental illness while in medical school. It’s not hard to see why given the disillusion, abuse, relationship strains, and long hours you have to deal with each day. </p>

<p>Fortunately, your goal is psychiatry which is one of the easiest of the residencies to get into. The problem is that you can’t avoid sleep deprivation even if all you aim for is to pass med school. Secondly, your goals may change once you get into med school. You may end up opting for ortho or radiology, etc. and the sleep deprivation might be even worse. </p>

<p>I’m not even so sure you should disclose your illness to med schools you apply to as I think there is a stigma still in place. Med schools perfectly realize that a high percentage of med students are depressed but most are ill-equipped to deal with it. They will be reluctant to take on a student with a known mental illness. And going through med school with uncontrolled mental illness could be catastrophic.</p>