I have to fill out a health questionnaire for a new job, and two questions, that are related (in my case) have answers that refer to a suicide attempt I made via medication overdose ten years ago.

The questions are part of a list that begins with, "Have you ever had or do you have the following:" The two that I am concerned with are "seizures or loss of consciousness" and "Been hospitalized - give dates and reason"

When I was hospitalized, I was in a coma for a couple weeks, during which time I experienced seizures. I have answered yes to both questions, but I am unsure just how specific I should be regarding the reason. Should I actually write that I had a suicide attempt that put me into a coma, or do you think I can get away with saying something to the effect of, I had a bad reaction to medication that caused a loss of consciousness and seizure? Since I am assuming that my medical records are private and can't be accessed without my permission, would a civil service job entail a subpoena of records to verify the specificity of what I list on a questionnaire? Or can I safely be a wee bit vague, while still being honest?


While part of me is comfortable with being honest, the phrase "suicide attempt" sounds really intense, especially when they don't really know me yet to be able to see that I am stable and okay and that it won't affect my work.


I asked in a different thread about disclosing my mental health status, and I feel that I can comfortably list that am being treated for depression and anxiety, but it is these other questions that have me feeling a bit unsure.

Thoughts?