Would you tell the interviewers?

[Guest Oregano112]

Just out of curiousity, I was wondering what other people thought of this situation.

 

I am just recovering from Hodgkins Disease. I'm almost finished my treatment (last one is next monday) and my prognosis is very good. Should I tell my interviewers about my disease (I have learned a lot from it and I think it demonstrates strength of character that I have undergone cancer treatment and kept up a full course load this year) or will they be able to use it to exclude me from med school (on the grounds that I may get sick again so there's no use accepting me)?

[Guest UOMeds05]

Congratulations on your perseverance, strength and drive. This is really impressive.

 

I don't see why you wouldn't share that with interviewers. I agree that it demonstrates so much about your character and probably plays a part of why you want to be a doctor. I also don't think that it should make a difference on your "acceptability", but i don't see why you couldn't bring that point up either. It would be delicate, and right off-hand i'm not exactly sure how i would put it, but i am sure it could be done effectively. It seems like you have a lot to offer, and i really don't see you bringing up your fight with Hodgkin's as being anything but positive.

 

Best of luck to you!

[Guest UWOMED2005]

I know of one med student who is also recovering from a bout of cancer. We have other people in the class who have dealt with other ailments in their life. If anything, that background is a strength and not a weakness in medical interviews as it would give you a unique perspective of the medical profession.

[Guest Dmac]

I think this is an interesting topic...what about divulging information about having suffered from a psychiatric illness, such as clinical depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder? Do you think the stigma associated with these more "emotional" diseases, as compared to physical ailments, warrants informing interviewers even if the individual is completely recovered? Once again, this site rocks!!

[Guest Biochem10]

Umm..that's definetly a tough one. I'm not sure whether Schizophrenia can actually be 'cured' (may be some Med students can help out with this) and although someone may be on their medication and feeling fine, I'm not sure whether they could handle the stress of being a physician. (this is totally an opinion) I have a cousin with Schizophrenia and from my experience I couldn't even imagine him having the drive to apply to med school, so I'm not sure whether the scenario you presented would actually happen. Anyway, I suppose it depends on the severity of the psychiatric illness, certainly I've heard of many doctors having clinical depression, however, I'm not sure if the diagnosis was made for these cases before or after med school. I know there are definetly some limitations to becoming a doctor if you have or had a serious illness. As far as Oregano112's situation goes, there doesn't seem to be anything stopping him/her from becoming a great physician. I could see things like paralysis, highly contagious diseases or serious psychological disorders being restrictive to certain people's ability to practice medicine.

 

I don't think that this necessarily has anything to do with stigma.

[Guest UWOMED2005]

Very interesting question.

 

We had a lecture last year where the lecturer argued that physicians had better PHYSICAL health than the general population, but that their MENTAL health was quite a bit worse, on average. For the most part, though, this refers to anxiety, depression, and obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD, not to be confused with OCD.) These are extremely common phenomenon. I know classmates who've been treated or are being treated for them. There are a couple of websites (we looked this up for PCL) detailing celebrities who have admitted to having episodes of anxiety or depression - not surprisingly, one of these lists is 3 pages long.

 

I think it would be unlikely for a Schizophrenic to apply to med school. Schizophrenia is often associated with a lack of motivation, and epidemiologically is more common in those with below average intelligence (with notable exceptions, particularly John Nash.) And while its presentation can vary, it's often quite debilitating. The same websites that listed celebrities with depression and anxiety noted there weren't that many famous schizophrenics - Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd's original singer), John Nash (Beautiful mind guy,) Lionel Aldridge (former NFL football player who wrote a book about being schizophrenic,) the composer Robert Schumann (theorized) and a few others. There is no "cure" for Schizophrenia but anti-psychotics (also known as neuroleptics) achieve remission rates of about 60%, but there are a LOT of side-effects.

 

My understanding is the story is different for Bipolar disorder, aka Manic Depression. There's at least one practicing health care professional with this disorder - Dr. Kay Jamison, who wrote THE current textbook on manic depression is manic depressive herself! Epidemiologically, Manic Depression is linked to increased intelligence (and particularly creativity) and while the depression phases of the illness can be paralyzing, hypomanic or manic states are often periods of great productivity. It's prevalence in the population is approximately 1-2% I think in most textbooks, but a new study from Switzerland found 10% of the population fit into a "bipolar spectrum," so I think it's highly likely there are more doctors out there with this condition - in fact, one of the psychiatrists here made a passing reference about treating a physician with manic depression. But I'd like to point out Manic Depression, untreated, can be highly debilitating as well. The mainstay treat is Lithium Carbonate, and it has an 80% successful treatment rate, but once again there are some side effects and compliance is always an issue. Famous people who might have been or are bipolar (those without question marks have publically admitted so) include Winston Churchill, Sir Isaac Newton?, Michaelangelo?, Buzz Aldrin (the astronaut), Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison, Virginia Woolf (author), Ernest Hemingway (Author), Tim Burton (movie director,) Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia,) Ben Stiller, and Brian Wilson.

 

Fascinating topic. But yeah, there is still stigma. And while the curriculum is designed to try and enlighten med students and physicians to not hold bias against mental illness, if I were being interviewed I WOULD NOT bring it up, unless directly asked (in which case I'd tell the truth) and I highly, highly doubt you'd be asked that. It shouldn't make a difference, but I can't say it wouldn't so I wouldn't bring it up.

[Guest mying]

I think you need to consider *why* you might bring something up.

 

If your experience with an illness or disability taught you something, maybe about yourself, your coping strategies, or about the medical profession, then there may be a good reason to include it in your discussion with the interviewers. Many people are stronger in self after a bout of depression; if you became depressed during your third year of university and learned something really significant as a result of it, it may be worth mentioning.

 

But if there isn't a strong enough reason, don't bother. Would you bring up that your brother is a football player if there wasn't a good reason? I'm sure there are a lot of things about yourself you *won't* be revealing in your interview. You only have so much time in an interview. Make the most of it. Be yourself, but you only need to bring up what's really, really, relevant.

 

Another way to look at it (1) is that these interviewers are complete strangers who are judging you, like at a job interview -- or like your future colleagues and patients. It could be argued that knowing what is a "touchy" subject and perhaps better off left unsaid is all a part of what they are testing you on.

 

Footnote:

1. Completely without official basis.

[Guest kellyl20]

I know of a med student who had depression before he went into med school and the depression caused him problems during his second year, he simply had to withdraw. He started with being late for his PBL groups and barely passing grades and it spiralled downwards from there. His appeal to the university was unsuccessful. I guess one has to be prepare for the worst scenario if the illness should become uncontrollable.