Should I keep my mental health issues to myself?

Parents Forum Learning Differences and Challenges - LD, ADHD
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Sooo my struggles with mental health could be detected on my transcript from outer space and I reasoned that it would be wise to concoct some sort of explanation that could effectively expound upon my issues in such a way that would ensure admissions officers I am not a threat to the increase of some sort of ugly statistic nor am I a student with conduct issues or a lack of motivation. I have been diagnosed with moderate/severe OCD and post traumatic stress disorder. I spent a school year in a residential treatment center attempting to surmount my fairly convoluted intrinsic difficulties which had intricately intermingled and intertwined throughout years of being physically abused by my parents in my childhood and adolescence for what my parents would frequently describe as a poor disposition/temperament (at the time, they didn’t understand what OCD was and therefore couldn’t effectively provide me with proper treatment and didn’t know how to deal with me and my tics in a way that would have been conducive to my well-being). Aside from the treatment center I have also been to an institution for OCD treatment (1 month) and to non-traditional schooling environments. I’ve had child protective services put me in an alternate location/ order that my father (primary abuser) not live with me. My parents also ultimately divorced. Long story story short, my background has a touch of dis-functionality and my transcripts reveal my attendance in a multiplicity of different schools, lack of school attendance, and schooling in alternate settings. Being that I am ultra cognizant of the unsightly disorderly optics of my transcript I went ahead and took a bundle of SAT II exams and received above 700 on all of them (without taking the some of the corresponding courses and self-teaching the material) and I am trying to achieve a near perfect score on my SAT I for the sake of proving my intellectual and academic competencies because I don’t feel they are expressed by any other means. I want to know how I can present this mess of a story to admissions. I’m not particular fond of the idea of relaying this information to admissions however with the help of therapeutic services in recent years I’m triumphed some feats that were pretty darn difficult for me and I don’t see why that should me kept a secret. I also would hope that shedding light on my difficulties would enable some sort of understanding and maybe even a tad bit of mercy would be a secondary result of such understanding. On the other hand, I understand that being open about my background could result in being perceived as an impending calamity… and that I do not want! Can anyone offer sound advice about how to deal with this sort of thing? Should I just go to community college so the magnitude of importance placed on my high school transcript becomes mitigated and then try to transfer to a four year school? Should I take some classes in community college after high school to prove my propensities? BTW I am a high school junior who will be graduating at 19 due to being in a treatment center for a school year, I am presently fully functional in a semi-alternative school and have no issues with attendance, I have a 3.5 GPA overall with 7 honors courses and no AP’s and have had a 4.0 for the past two years (in semi-alternate settings)…yeah I know they don’t count but I really try my best to make the most out of the limited academic resources that surround me and delve into deeper contextual depth than my courses require as to nourish my spirit of inquiry and desire to learn.

Thanks

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Hi Cosmo: Wow you have had it rough but it looks like you are seeing some light at the end of your particular tunnel and standing on your own. You have survived and are lucky you have the intellect and wherewithal to emerge standing with opportunity before you. Many in your shoes would not.

I think that some sort of essay which subtly references significant family issues will do the trick. I wouldnt divulge too much -just enough to illuminate the picture. Worse case -which isnt so bad–take a year at a community college. Save some money and reapply.

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Paragraph breaks would be great in future posts…

That said, the best route for this is to ask your giidance counstlor to state that you had health issues that impacted your grades. I would suggest that you not go into more detail. Also, can’t tell from your post, but were you temporarily in foster care? Another item to ask the GC to mention.

All that said, you need to be sure you are receiving appropriate treatment and that you don’t attend a college that exacerbates your issues due to a high pressure environment. Honestly, I can see OCD in your post (the test score comments stand out to me). There is no point in going off to college, and crashing there because the same issues undermine your success.

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At the point of application, disclosure of disability is separated from application materials so disability is not a factor in the admissions decision. Generally, it is illegal to deny acceptance to a qualified applicant because of disability.
Further, institutions don’t want to deny admission to a unqualified applicant because of the potential for law suits in which a claim is made that an applicant would have been admitted but for a disability. Test scores sent to colleges for admissions are not flagged indicating tests were taken with accommodations. Disability might be recognized by one or more members of the admissions committee, but wouldn’t be discussed to prevent tipping the admission decision in either direction. If you are denied admissions, you can appeal the adverse decision and disclose disability then.

Disclosure could also be important to you if you had difficultly with medication, became ill which exacerbates your disability, seek assistance from the counseling services on campus, etc. Disclosure, not broadcasting, is important to students with disabilities who encounter health problems, major stress, whatever. You do need to ensure your safety and well-being.

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If your transcript is going to be obviously non-traditional, then a carefully written essay or personal statement briefly explaining (not excusing) your journey and how you have grown and succeeded can be worth considering. This is separate from submitting for services/accommodations through the disability services office.

It might be helpful to work on writing style, so that the essay is compelling and easy to read. Excessive adjectives and adverbs, and extremely long-winded, run-on sentences may not express the improvement you want to show from issues such as OCD. Essays and personal statements will have a limited # of words. You will want to choose them carefully. Good luck!