Mental Health Treatment on Application?

[enggal]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forum and have a question that's been bothering with regards to what to include on my applications.

First,  a bit about me:  I've completed a Mechanical Engineering undergrad, with a 3.76 GPA (goes up to a 3.89 with weighting and/or consideration of a two-year average), with a 516 MCAT score and 129 CARS. I'm currently working on a Master's of Applied Science (thesis-based, 2-year program) and am looking to apply this cycle. I'm an Ontario resident with low to average EC's (minimal leadership other than several TA positions), and a few publications.

Between my Master's and undergrad, I took a year off and was in a day hospital treatment program for an eating disorder for 8 months. I now consider myself to be in strong recovery. Tbh, I would say completing this program was far more difficult for me than my undergrad or Master's program, and taught me quite alot through seeing other patients' experiences, etc. From my point of view, acknowledging this condition (which has been resolved) could help explain the gap year and my lack of extracurriculars during undergrad. I had to quit sports in second year due to poor physical health, and really didn't have energy for anything when I was sick, so had virtually no EC's in 3rd and 4th years. Towards the end of the gap year, I did some volunteering and worked 3 jobs, but did absolutely nothing but this program for the first 6 months.

Do you think this program is worth including on my applications/ABS? I found it incredibly valuable (learned DBT, ACT skills, lots of stress management and goal setting, etc.), but is mental illness just a huge red flag? 

 

Thank you in advance for any insights that you may have . 

[ellorie]

There have been multiple topics about this in the past. 

Ultimately, everyone will have a different opinion and it is almost impossible to say how your specific file reviewers/interviewers will view it on the day they review your application. 

Some will view it as a positive as you say, and see how it can enrich your contributions as a physician. Some will think that it’s an over disclosure and feel uncomfortable. Some will likely think it makes you less suited to be in medicine.  

In your case since you do have a gap, it may do your application more good than harm since you’d have to address the gap anyway, and so not saying anything isn’t a neutral strategy - something clearly happened. But really it comes down to your own personal comfort level with taking the risk. 

Personally I elected not to go there in my applications because I just didn’t feel comfortable and I knew if I didn’t get in I’d always wonder if that was why.  And my experiences in residency have further solidified my sense that there is still a strong stigma around mental illness in our profession. But I know that not everybody has had the experiences that I have had.  And I also didn’t have a gap to explain.

It’s a tough call. Ultimately, either decision is workable and defensible - it’s sort of a “pick your poison” scenario