Training as a Psychiatrist When Having a Psychiatric Illness

Abstract

A medical student has decided to apply to psychiatry residency and reveals that he has previously been treated for a psychiatric illness. This experience has played an important part in his decision to pursue psychiatry, and the student asks his advisor if this information should be included in his personal statement.A program director meets with a resident to discuss her recent decline in performance. The resident reports that the night float month has disturbed her sleep and that the death of a patient by suicide on her last rotation has brought up many personal issues. In this context, the resident discloses that she has a strong family history of a disorder and has developed psychiatric symptoms.

In This Issue: October 2020

“…Another question is whether to disclose a history of psychiatric illness in an application to psychiatry residency [3]. This decision has always been a very thorny one, and Pheister et al's report "The Impact of Mental Illness Disclosure in Applying for Residency" [4] is a valuable contribution to our literature.…”

Programs and Resources to Alleviate Concerns with Mental Health Disclosures on Physician Licensing Applications

“…Applicants may also face a dilemma regarding how to account for leaves of absence or academic struggles related to psychiatric illness. 3 Resident physicians experience depression more frequently than the general public. 3 Distressed residents who do not seek treatment, especially for conditions such as depression, anxiety and burnout, may ultimately have an adverse effect on public safety because they may be less likely to identify and treat similar conditions in their patients and more prone to medical errors in daily practice.…”

“…3 Resident physicians experience depression more frequently than the general public. 3 Distressed residents who do not seek treatment, especially for conditions such as depression, anxiety and burnout, may ultimately have an adverse effect on public safety because they may be less likely to identify and treat similar conditions in their patients and more prone to medical errors in daily practice. [4][5] Although medical students' access to student mental-health services is usually available, 6 wellstructured mental health systems geared toward residents' needs may be harder to find.…”

“…[4][5] Although medical students' access to student mental-health services is usually available, 6 wellstructured mental health systems geared toward residents' needs may be harder to find. 3 Sponsoring institutions must provide residents and fellows with access to confidential counseling and behavioral health services. However, the resident may feel it is not in his or her best interest to tell the full story of their treatment to the program director.…”

“…However, the resident may feel it is not in his or her best interest to tell the full story of their treatment to the program director. 3,7 Since previous mental health problems are a strong predictor of experiencing mental health problems as a resident, program directors would benefit from knowing this ABSTRACT: This article considers concerns about the presence and phrasing of questions on physician licensing applications related to mental health, substance abuse, and leave from practice. These questions may discourage physicians from seeking appropriate treatment due to fear of stigmatization, public disclosure, and career effects related to licensing or credentialing concerns.…”