Quote:
Originally Posted by WeepingWillow23
@bipolarmedstudent - I was a medstudent in the UK, and telling my faculty about my depression was the worst thing I ever did, though I had no choice at the time. It painted a huge target on my back and I was always under scrutiny after that. Doctors (at my old Uni anyway) seem to think that they are above illness, that it is for 'lesser mortals' not them. Actually I found that having experience of being a patient made me a better medstudent and would've made me a great doctor. Instead I'm now going to use my talents where they're more appreciated! lol Just be careful of fitness to practise issues if something goes wrong, which fingers crossed it won't. At my place, not declaring an illness was classed as lacking insight into the way a student's behaviour could impact patients, which was dangerous. I got a slapped wrist for not declaring my depression sooner. Best of luck with the rest of your studies!
*Willow*
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Hi, so sorry about your experience.
I didn't tell my faculty. I told student services, which is like disability services. They are bound by confidentiality, and their purpose is to help students who have a physical or mental illness. They have actually been extermely understanding and helpful so far! They referred me to a new p-doc in town (my old p-doc was back home, so it was difficult for me to see her). And they are helping me to bend some rules to take academic leave next year to do a master's.
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age: 23
dx: bipolar I, ADHD-C, tourette's syndrome, OCD, trichotillomania, GAD, Social Phobia, BPD, RLS
current meds: depakote (divalproex sodium) 1000mg, abilify (aripiprazole) 4mg, cymbalta (duloxetine) 60mg, dexedrine (dexamphetamine) 35mg, ativan (lorazepam) 1mg prn, iron supplements
past meds: ritalin, adderall, risperdal, geodon, paxil, celexa, zoloft
other: individual talk therapy, CBT, group therapy, couple's therapy, hypnosis
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