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Just Got Diagnosed With General Anxiety Disorder. What Are Your Experiences? I'm A Bit Lost.


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It's really a catch all, there are plenty of things you can do (that im hoping they touched upon) to work on it. First and foremost is regular exercise and a good diet. Not universal, but plenty of GAD diagnosis aren't really that accurate. 

It's really though about what functional impacts it has on your day to day life. Anxiety is a normal part of life, and your grades are solid - so its not like Anxiety is preventing you from doing well. Unless of course you are really a genius 4.0 individual who is underperforming to their "true" potential.

Talk to your doctor of course first and foremost, but regular daily exercise, a good diet, proper sleep and coffee are probably going to be just as effective if not better than Rx.  

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OP I went undiagnosed until my third year of undergrad, and struggled enormously up to that point. I finished my first degree with a 2.5 GPA having attended very little class, failing to make an impression on any professors, and really failed to thrive whatsoever socially. I had functioned at an extremely low level. What stood out to me was what you said about being "unsure" about ti for a number of years. A lot of people don't understand why it took me so long to get a diagnosis and seek the appropriate help. I think for the longest time I was in denial, and also didn't want the stigma of being "labeled" and also had a few negative experiences within the healthcare system that reinforced why I was reluctant to return to a GP. Instead of saying "there's something wrong here" I just assumed that I was a terrible person, unintelligent, unambitious, and didn't deserve to ever do something like medicine. 

 

The best piece of advice that I have is rally people behind you! I tried to go it alone for far too long. For such a long time I was so skeptical of people and really walled myself off from those who have the resources to ameliorate my situation. When I started a new medication I built my team of counselors, doctors, and a really great disability adviser at my university. That is the first thing I woudl suggest, is to not be afraid of seeking out appropriate accommodations. I am now finished my second undergraduate degree with a 3.9 and am applying to a few schools this year. It can be a little discouraging at times, as medical schools still seem like fairly traditional institutions. I perhaps was naive in assuming that if I returned and simply destroyed a second degree and mentioned that my first degree marks were not indicative of my true potential all would be fine. At times it has seemed like far more doors were closed to me than opened. I have realized that it's about opening the right doors, however. Some schools have been VERY responsive, while others I have been extremely frustrated at for their complete disregard for the human rights code in their admissions policy. I'm not sure where you are located, but two schools which I give praise to are UBC and UofC. Within a week of inquiring I had a phone meeting set up with extremely helpful accommodations advisers. 

 

I wrestled with the question of disclosure in my applications, although for me I kind of have to mention it because there is such an extreme disparity in marks. I know for myself that my experiences are an integral part of wanting to pursue medicine, and my medicine related goals. My advice would be to contact the accessibility departments of the universities that you are planning to attend. This way they can perhaps walk you through their policies, your rights etc. Just know that you cannot be discriminated against in this process. As long as you meet the minimum requirements and technical standards you have every right to meaningfully compete for a seat in a medical program.It has been my goal for some time to help others with disabilities navigate this process. If anyone has any questions please do not hesitate to ask. I have contacted many schools across Canada and have had very different experiences. As of now, there isn't a lot in terms of resources available for students with disabilities applying and attending medicine, so I have compiled a lot of research over the past couple of years. 

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It's really a catch all, there are plenty of things you can do (that im hoping they touched upon) to work on it. First and foremost is regular exercise and a good diet. Not universal, but plenty of GAD diagnosis aren't really that accurate. 

 

It's really though about what functional impacts it has on your day to day life. Anxiety is a normal part of life, and your grades are solid - so its not like Anxiety is preventing you from doing well. Unless of course you are really a genius 4.0 individual who is underperforming to their "true" potential.

 

Talk to your doctor of course first and foremost, but regular daily exercise, a good diet, proper sleep and coffee are probably going to be just as effective if not better than Rx.  

 

Reading comments like this irks me... Don't get me wrong, healthy habits sure won't hurt and probably help tremendously, but phrases like "Anxiety is a normal part of life" and "regular daily exercise, a good diet, proper sleep and coffee are probably going to be just as effective if not better than Rx" only serve to stigmatize mental disorders and make people affected by them feel bad. Mental disorders are real diseases and should be treated accordingly.

 

Your advice are really good and OP should follow them, no question about it. However, we barely know his/her situation. While his/her grades are good, other aspects of his/her life are maybe compromised by the GAD. 

 

I'm sorry to have sidetracked the thread, I just couldn't stop myself. I sure you meant well and, as I said, your advice are sound. I simply believe that the way we formulate our advice is really important, particularly when it concerns mental health.

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