Many insurance plans will not have pre-existing condition exclusions if you can show you were insured under another policy immediately before joining the new one. Will you be getting health insurance through an employer or do you have to get it privately? (You mentioned getting a private plan at a later date, but I wasn't sure if this was your situation now.) And yes, life insurance can be tricky. But if you are eligible for an employer-based life insurance plan, they will usually have a no-questions-asked period where you can sign up regardless of your health history.

As far as a mental health diagnosis affecting other areas, yes, it could. Like, with your driver's license, for example...some states require a form filled out by your pdoc stating whether or not you are able to safely drive. But it's not just the psych diagnoses they're watching for. Things like heart problems and epilepsy are also monitored.