To tell or not to tell, please tell me your opinion

[Medmaker]

TL;DR: I'm an undergrad student (BS Psych): Should I send my Dr.'s note about my full-blown outbreak from mental illness and was being treated to my research faculty sponsor who is also a Dean/ Director of admission of the program I wanted to get into. It was 2 weeks of being MIA and a research seminar is a few days away.

I'm actually not pursuing Psy.D degree, and I have not worked in a psych feel for over 10 years, but I still hope that members in this forum can help

I'm a pre-(medical-related) professional student who recently "broke up" with my former medical-related career to get into another medical field with more stability. My apology for I am unable to disclose these two disciplines in this post. I have no network in this new discipline I'm trying to get in, plus my clinical ob hours were halted since mid-March last year when Covid hit, so I have no means of getting ROI from anyone in this field ( Mandatory for the app). Painful GRE score and I've been retaking classes since my undergrad GPA 15+ years ago is subpar from a language barrier. My only saving grace is impressive resume with teaching experiences in a (vocational) medical program.

With that being said, I decided to educate myself on the profession instead. Did a lot of researches and presentations; many profs were impressed with my work, they finally introduced me to the Dean who is also a director of admission of the program I want to get in. I was so ecstatic when he agreed to become my faculty sponsor. But at the same time, they also recruited me to be in their labs too. I thought it would be awesome to build my portfolio and more professional network. Bad move. My mental illness that has been controlled well just exploded, I was gone for 2 weeks for treatment with no communication or any update about my work. My Psych doc wrote a note about the mental issue to my instructors to extend the deadline.

So my dilemma is should I send this blunt note to my faculty sponsor who does not know me well? The situation shot my credibility/ reputation big time... and the seminar is only a few days away. I know I can compose myself then and still deliver my presentation-- I have been hiding my illness and "fake it to make it" for many years now.

Would this hurt my application for the upcoming cycle for being mentally ill and could potentially fail the rigorous program? Any opinion and suggestions are much appreciated. Thank you for reading this far.

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[CheetahGirl]

TL;DR: I'm an undergrad student (BS Psych): Should I send my Dr.'s note about my full-blown outbreak from mental illness and was being treated to my research faculty sponsor who is also a Dean/ Director of admission of the program I wanted to get into.

Would this hurt my application for the upcoming cycle for being mentally ill and could potentially fail the rigorous program? Any opinion and suggestions are much appreciated. Thank you for reading this far.

So the first question violates SDN's policies of seeking personal mental health consultation with members.

However, in short answer to the second question: No and depends...You can still do much with mental health conditions with adequate support and motivation once one learns their own strengths and limitations (in my opinion).

Good luck.

 

[singasongofjoy]

I personally know 2 MDs who work in hospitals and who manage SMI well (bipolar disorder in those cases). I know one took some medical leave in med school- which is the time period when she was diagnosed- but made it through, figured out what is needed for her to maintain stability (predictable sleep cycle/opportunity for one) and both are now thriving in their careers, teaching etc. So it's def possible.

 

[Medmaker]

So the first question violates SDN's policies of seeking personal mental health consultation with members.

However, in short answer to the second question: No and depends...You can still do much with mental health conditions with adequate support and motivation once one learns their own strengths and limitations (in my opinion).

Good luck.

Thank you for reminding me about the policy, really. I focus too much on the other aspect...and thank you for your opinion

 

[Medmaker]

I personally know 2 MDs who work in hospitals and who manage SMI well (bipolar disorder in those cases). I know one took some medical leave in med school- which is the time period when she was diagnosed- but made it through, figured out what is needed for her to maintain stability (predictable sleep cycle/opportunity for one) and both are now thriving in their careers, teaching etc. So it's def possible.

Thank you for your message and a good example. I do need some time off to figure things out for sure.