Do anxiety meds have any bearing on licensing applications, insurance?

[cheesepizza]

I'm a second year med student and likely will be on anxiety meds in the future. I don't have any disability insurance right now, which I know is a must for practicing physicians. I also heard through informal conversations that registering through CPSO was tough for some individuals due to the ambiguity around mental illness. 

Can someone provide any concrete information, or point me in the direction where I can find info? 

[frenchpress]

On 8/24/2021 at 9:50 AM, cheesepizza said:

I'm a second year med student and likely will be on anxiety meds in the future. I don't have any disability insurance right now, which I know is a must for practicing physicians. I also heard through informal conversations that registering through CPSO was tough for some individuals due to the ambiguity around mental illness. 

Can someone provide any concrete information, or point me in the direction where I can find info? 

I am not sure about CPSO. But you should definitely consider getting disability insurance now if you think you will have issues in the future. On private plans like RBC, which seems to be one of the most popular, there’s an exclusion for claims for several years for pre-existing conditions (2-5 years for my plan depending on the issues), but after that you can typically make a claim if you need to. So the sooner you get it, the sooner it is likely to be available if you need it. Provincial group plans typically also have cheap student insurance, although I’ve heard OMA recently went way up in price. 

In BC Hasslet is a popular broker with students and physicians. Ask around at your school and find a recommended broker there who knows physician disability insurance to talk to. 

[ellorie]

Get disability insurance right now, especially if you haven’t been diagnosed or treated yet. Like, immediately. 
 

With CPSO there really is no concrete info. It’s about the diagnosis, not the treatment - they ask if you’ve ever been diagnosed with a condition that could interfere with your ability to practice medicine. It’s a personal judgment call whether to disclose for most people with psych stuff. If you’ve taken a leave you will probably end up needing to, if not it’s a conversation with your treating physician. Most people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety disorders I think choose not to disclose. 

[cheesepizza]

6 hours ago, ellorie said:

Get disability insurance right now, especially if you haven’t been diagnosed or treated yet. Like, immediately. 
 

With CPSO there really is no concrete info. It’s about the diagnosis, not the treatment - they ask if you’ve ever been diagnosed with a condition that could interfere with your ability to practice medicine. It’s a personal judgment call whether to disclose for most people with psych stuff. If you’ve taken a leave you will probably end up needing to, if not it’s a conversation with your treating physician. Most people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety disorders I think choose not to disclose. 

Thank you - do you mind if I PM you for further clarification? 

[ellorie]

17 hours ago, cheesepizza said:

Thank you - do you mind if I PM you for further clarification? 

Sure - though honestly there isn't much clarity to be had.  I did go through this process though so feel free to ask me questions by PM.