psychiatry personal statement reddit

5 Psychiatry Residency Personal Statement Examples

Reviewing psychiatry  residency personal statement examples  is a great way to get inspired when you are starting to  prepare for residency applications  and brainstorming for your own personal statement. It gives you some idea of the kind of structure you are expected to follow and the information you need to provide. This is important because personal statements for psychiatry residency can be especially challenging to draft. Not only do we typically find it difficult to talk about ourselves, but in a residency personal statement, you need to find a perfect balance between highlighting your strengths and not sounding overconfident. 

Furthermore, most students understand how much weight the personal statement carries, whether you're navigating the  ERAS or  CaRMS application, which adds an extra layer of anxiety. This essay is your only chance to speak to the residency directors directly and explain why you deserve a spot in their program in your own words before the residency interview. So, it is imperative that you take the time to write and polish it until it is compelling!

In this blog, we share five psychiatry residency personal statement examples and five proven strategies for writing a stronger personal statement to help you improve your chances of matching to the right program. 

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Article Contents 16 min read

Psychiatry residency personal statement example #1 .

I didn’t know that I wanted to be a psychiatrist until I started seeing a psychiatrist myself. It wasn't one because I saw them doing something and immediately wanted to do the same thing for a living. Rather, they helped me learn to be more introspective, which helped me figure out what kind of doctor I wanted to be. 

I come from a small family of overachievers who rarely stop and smell the roses. My mother is a social worker with 2 PhDs, my father owns a physiotherapy clinic, and my older brother was a professional athlete. Growing up around these hard-working people meant that I had no choice but to pick up the same habit. For as long as I can remember, every member of my family has always been busy. As a result, I always had to find a way to stay busy too. That's how I learned how to play three musical instruments, compete in two different sports, and lead a debate team while keeping up with my AP classes. 

Despite this, my family was close-knit. We always spent holidays together, and once a week, we volunteered at a local homeless shelter. I would watch my dad talk to people and provide them with supplies or tips that they would then come back and tell him had worked wonders for their back pains. I would also watch my mother put a smile and hope in people's eyes with a short conversation. I knew that I wanted to do what they did. Help people in the same way, but I wasn't sure which career path would be best for me.

Everything changed when I was 19, and I lost my brother to an illness that too many people are secretly battling: depression. My brother committed suicide at the age of 28, we later discovered that he had been depressed for some time. I didn't know how to deal with my anger and grief, so I buried myself in work. As you can imagine, that didn't work for long, and I needed to speak with someone who could give me better coping mechanisms. 

My psychiatrist helped me develop healthier work habits and coping mechanisms. He taught me how to be more psychologically minded and helped me realize that psychiatry combines the two aspects of my parents' professions that I love. As a psychiatrist, you get to use psychotherapy to help people in various ways and you also need to have a solid understanding of the human body and psychopharmaceuticals. 

I was completing my undergraduate at the time, but my interest had been piqued. I started to volunteer in the psychiatric ward at the hospital, and not only did I learn a lot about treating the mentally ill with respect and ensuring that they have autonomy, but it solidified my desire to become a psychiatrist. 

When I got to medical school, my interest grew. I would read the psychiatry textbooks in my spare time, diligently take notes, and excel at every exam. My curious nature would lead me to ask more questions in class. A conversation with one of my professors, Dr. John Doe, even inspired a research project on how depressive symptoms manifest differently in people of color, complicating the diagnosis process. We are currently working on the research project together, and hope to publish our findings soon. 

During my clerkship, a young woman came into the emergency room complaining of shortness of breath. She claimed that she had asthma and we decided to run some tests. I was tasked with monitoring the patient and we started talking. As she opened up to me about her struggles with Asthma, I began suspecting that she was describing a panic attack instead. I brought it up to my resident and attending who then followed up with some additional tests.

As it turns out, the patient had been having panic attacks for most of her teenagers and was not asthmatic at all. The attending sat with her for almost two hours, explaining precisely what a panic attack is, what she can do when she has one, and how therapy can help her identify her triggers and deal with them. 

I remember admiring the attending's patience and professionalism. Beyond that, I remember thinking about all the different ways in which our mental health affects our physical health and how we are just starting to understand those ways.

I hope to join the efforts of those who are helping the people who are already battling mental illness, those supporting the people who are suffering from it but don't know it, and those who are researching to help us understand more about brain chemistry and how our minds work. 

I believe that my sense of curiosity, work ethic, passion for the field, and psychological mindedness will make me a good psychiatrist. Now, I hope that I get a chance to train and learn from some of the best psychiatrists in the county so that one day, I, too, can help someone overcome difficulties and maybe even inspire another young woman to follow in my footsteps. 

"Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it." My high school counselor wrote this quote by Buddha on our whiteboard during my senior year and told us that, lucky for us, she was there to help us with the first part of our work. I remember rolling my eyes and thinking that I didn't need all that because I knew exactly what I wanted to be. I was going to be a neurosurgeon. 

I knew I wanted to be a neurosurgeon since I watched an episode of Grey's Anatomy in which Dr. Sheperd had to figure out how to remove a tumor from someone's spine without paralyzing them. Of course, I now know that although very entertaining, Grey's Anatomy does not have a very accurate portrayal of surgery or medicine. But I remember thinking that it must be amazing to spend your days working on such complicated cases, thinking outside the box to come up with creative solutions to problems that were endangering people's lives.  

I've always loved a good puzzle. It is the reason I enjoy things like sudoku, and all my favorite books revolve around solving mysteries. I simply enjoy that eureka moment, and as silly as it feels now, in high school, I was convinced that neurosurgeons got the best eureka moments. 

My mind first started changing during a conversation with that same high school counselor who informed me that I would make a great psychologist or psychiatrist after asking me a few questions. I was baffled! I asked her why she thought so, and she told me that those fields seemed to align with everything I was telling her I wanted from my future career. Even though I didn’t believe her, I couldn’t help but look into it.

I knew that I wanted to become a doctor because I'd always been fascinated by how the human body, particularly the human brain, works. So, I was more interested in psychiatry than psychology. After doing some research on the internet, I reached out to a psychiatrist in my community and asked to shadow them for a few weeks. As I observed the doctor and later on worked with patients as a volunteer at the XYZ clinic in college, I began to place more value on other aspects of medical care. Specifically, patient interaction. 

I remember one instance where the doctors were having difficulty with a patient. She was 16 years old, seemingly in good health, but she repeatedly showed up at the clinic complaining of migraines, asking for pain medication, and refusing to get examined properly. After a few visits, she was referred to the hospital for further testing, but she never went and simply kept coming back to ask for pain medication. Most of the doctors and staff had pegged her as an addict, but Dr. Diallo instructed me to talk to her and get her information. I took some extra time to talk to her every time she came in, usually documenting her symptoms, and making a bit of small talk. On what must've been the patient's fifth or sixth visit to the clinic that month, she finally opened up to me and explained that she wears glasses, but they are broken, and her family doesn't have the money to fix them or take her to an ophthalmologist. Once we knew what the issue was, we were able to help her get a new pair of glasses.

That was one of many interactions that helped me realize that talking to patients, especially listening to them, is one of the most important aspects of medicine. I wanted to choose a specialty that would allow me to spend time with patients, have that connection and help them with the root issues instead of just managing their symptoms. 

It only took a few days on the psychiatry rotation during my clerkship to realize that it was the only specialty that would allow me to solve problems, find creative ways to help my patients, and interact with them constantly. So, as it turns out, my high school counselor, Mrs. Bloom, was not wrong after all.

Now that I have discovered my work, I am ready to give myself to it with all my heart. 

Use our residency match calculator to assess your match chances and find out if you are a competitive applicant for your chosen specialty. ","label":"Tip:","title":"Tip:"}]" code="tab1" template="BlogArticle">

Psychiatry residency personal statement example #3

Growing up, I seemed to be on the path to success. I was an honor roll student, in the top 10% of my class, an elected student body member, and I was representing my school on the varsity soccer team. I already knew that I wanted to become a doctor, and there was no stopping me. 

However, I was under the false impression that the road to medical school would be easy. What I now realize is that I was accomplishing a lot without much conscious effort on my part. I was raised by parents who believed that hard work, academic excellence, and the pursuit of knowledge were always paramount. If my brother or I came home with a grade below A, my parents would act as if we had failed the assignment or exam. So, getting good grades became almost automatic to me.

I achieved great academic success, but I wasn't actively seeking knowledge or learning the true meaning of hard work at that stage in my life. I never really set any goals and worked towards them. I simply did what I felt would be just enough to make my parents happy.

I was never genuinely challenged until we relocated back to my parent's home country, Ghana, for a few years. While we had visited the country several times in the past, living there and going to school was a completely different experience. For the first time in my life, my performance was less than stellar, and I struggled to find my footing. Doing the bare minimum was no longer enough. It was when I found myself pulling all-nighters just to meet the graduation requirements that I knew that something had to change. 

I eventually realized that the problem was that the amount of effort I was putting in had not changed, despite the more difficult coursework I had to deal with. So, when my parents came back to the US, I took a different path. I'd found a premedical school in ThatTown Barbados that offered a four-year curriculum specifically for premeds. So, I packed up my bags and flew halfway across the world, anxious but eager. I wanted to prove to myself that I could rise to the occasion. I was finally setting my own goals, coming up with plans to reach those goals, and putting in the work. 

The dynamic between the mind and brain was always a topic of conversation around the dinner table in our house while I was growing up. My father is a psychologist, and my mother is a neuropathologist, and as much as they tried not to bring their work home to us, it always found its way into our conversations. I am not sure if their discussions led to my fascination with the human mind or if I asked them so many questions about it because I was already interested in the subject, but I was hooked either way. 

Even though I was a premedical student, no one was surprised when I decided to major in psychology instead of one of the natural sciences in college. I wanted to understand the mind and behavior better and hopefully get some answers to many of the questions that constantly plagued me. I wanted to know why two brains can have such completely different reactions in the face of the same external circumstances. I wanted to understand how and why our internal states transform our outer experiences. 

My degree in psychology was starting to shed some light on the complexity of the human mind. I was learning about the psychopathologies of mental illness and the anatomical and biological basis of psychiatric disorders. The more answers I got, the more questions I seemed to have. My curiosity and affinity for my mother often led me to her lab. We would discuss what I was learning in school as I watched her dissect neurological tissue under a microscope. During one of those many conversations, she reminded me how little we actually know about the brain and the mind and how we have so few resources available to help those struggling with mental illness. 

At the time, I was getting close to finishing my degree, and I had been working for a research facility conducting a clinical trial for a new anxiety medication. My mother's comment stuck with me, and it made me think about some of the experiences that the participants of the trial had been sharing with me. I remember one particular young woman in the trial who had explained to me that she did not know that she had anxiety. She always thought that everyone had headaches, stomach pain, and insomnia when they were stressed. 

When I finally got to medical school, it was with the full intention of becoming a psychiatrist. My years of learning about psychology and working with patients who had been suffering in silence for so long had convinced me that I was on the right path. I believe that as psychiatrists, we have the ability to improve people's quality of life by not only helping them mentally but also alleviating physical pain. 

During my internal medicine rotation in medical school, I was able to help a patient who came in presenting with intractable nausea and vomiting. She was about sixteen years old, and her medical workup was normal; she was admitted for observation because, although we couldn't find a cause, she had already thrown up twice in the space of two hours while being in the hospital. I spent some time speaking with her. She was timid at first, but she eventually opened to me and talked to me about a pretty difficult home situation that she was dealing with. My instincts told me that her problem might be more emotional than physical, so I discussed it with my resident. I was thrilled when I visited her a few days later on the psychiatric floor and found that she had finished all her food and had not thrown up once. 

Psychiatry allows me to continue learning about the mind and the brain while helping alleviate others' suffering, and that is why it is the perfect specialty for me. I believe that I am a good fit for it because I am not only passionate about it, but I am curious, compassionate, and very willing to learn. I am confident that with training, I can become a great psychiatrist. 

When they called my name on the day of my kindergarten graduation, I jumped out of my chair, ran to the microphone, and proudly proclaimed: "I am going to fix mummy's brain." I had a big smile on my face that slowly disappeared as no one clapped for me the way they had done when my classmates said what they were going to be in the future. It took a few very long seconds, but eventually, my mother started clapping slowly, and a few other people joined in. 

I am not sure what I felt at that moment because I do not remember any of it, but whenever I watch that video, I want to cry in shame and clap for myself a little. I like knowing that I always knew what I wanted to do, but I wish I had known better than to say something like that on a stage in front of my entire neighborhood. My mother's battle with mental illness was not a secret, though. One of my earliest memories is of her being carried away by men in scrubs, kicking, and screaming while my older sister tried to distract me with a doll. She was a paranoid schizophrenic, and I watched her fight her mind for over twenty years before she decided to take her life. 

My mother is the reason I first got curious about the brain and mental illness. As a child, I didn't understand it very well, but she repeatedly told me that she was just a little sick in the brain but that the doctors would fix it. As a teenager, I understood it a little better, and I spent a lot of time researching what it meant to be a schizophrenic. I remember being both fascinated and angry at the complex ways in which our own minds can cause us harm. As an adult in college, I understood that my mother was not the only person struggling with this illness and that many others are also struggling in ways that are very different but also very similar to hers, and I wanted to help. 

Growing up, my sister always made sure that I understood how to treat my mother with respect and dignity, even when she was going through a difficult episode. I spent most of my high school years volunteering in a psychiatric care facility, and I learned similar values there too. One of the doctors I worked with often complimented me on talking to the residents and making them a part of every decision instead of just telling them what to do like many other volunteers assumed they were supposed to do. 

I believe that my years caring for my mom and the residents of the XYZ facility helped me understand that the stigma surrounding mental illness often invites alienation, judgment, and other forms of gross misconduct. To be a good psychiatrist, you need to be more than just competent and knowledgeable in the discipline, but also empathetic and understanding of patients' daily struggles with their illness and society. 

By the time my mother passed away, I was in medical school, and my desire to help her had grown into a love for the field of psychiatry. I especially like the fact that even though we do not fully understand all mental illnesses yet, and we don't have a cure for many of them - we are able to provide some patients with the tools they need to live full, healthy lives using both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies. 

I believe that my compassion, discipline, and passion for the field will allow me to strive in your residency program and eventually join the efforts of the many other psychiatrists who were able to help people like my mom live as long as she did. 

5 tips for writing a compelling psychiatry residency personal statement

Keep in mind that your residency personal statement is one of many application components, so you should use it to provide the residency program directors with additional information about you. For example, you should avoid rehashing the experiences that are listed on your  residency CV . They already have that document as well as your  ERAS experience section . Instead, talk about what you learned from those experiences and how they helped you prepare for psychiatry residency.  "}]">

While psychiatry programs are not among the most competitive residency specialties, they are becoming increasingly popular, so it is best to have a strong, compelling application if you want to match to a good program. 

Quite important. Your personal statement is your chance to tell the residency directors why you’ve decided to pursue your specialty and why you would be good at it in your own words. It also gives them a chance to evaluate your communication skills. So, make sure you take the time to write a strong and detailed personal statement. 

Unless otherwise stated, your residency personal statement should have between 650 to 850 words. 

We recommend giving yourself at least six weeks to work on your statement. That is long enough for you to brainstorm, write, edit and polish your residency personal statement. 

After reading your statement, the residency program director should be convinced that you are not only interested in the psychiatry residency program, but that you are the right candidate for it. So, talk about why you are interested in the specialty, and what qualities make you a good fit for it

Not many International Medical Graduates match psychiatry programs, but do not let that discourage you. If your application is compelling enough, and you’ve managed to get electives and clinical experience as an IMG in the US and Canada , then you can get into a psychiatry residency program. 

You can make your statement stand out by using specific examples to back up any claims you make about yourself, starting it with something catchy like a quote or an anecdote, and letting your personality shine through. Make sure you plan ahead before you start writing and seek help when you need it

Absolutely! Consider working with residency match services or signing up for an application review service for additional help with your residency personal statement. 

Want more free tips? Subscribe to our channels for more free and useful content!

Apple Podcasts

Like our blog? Write for us ! >>

Have a question ask our admissions experts below and we'll answer your questions, get started now.

Talk to one of our admissions experts

Our site uses cookies. By using our website, you agree with our cookie policy .

FREE Training Webinar: 

How to make your residency application stand out, (and avoid the top 5 reasons most applicants don't match their top choice program).

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer

Additional menu

Zen Psychiatry

By Elana Miller, MD

Sample Psychiatry Personal Statement

Here’s the personal statement I used for my psychiatry residency application. This post is a continuation from my blog, How to Apply to Residency in Psychiatry, that details how to schedule your 4th year rotations, requesting letters of recommendations, what to consider when choosing a residency program, how to prepare for your residency interviews, and of course, how to write your own psychiatry personal statement. If you’re in the process of applying to psychiatry residency, check out that post too!

My Psychiatry Personal Statement 

I came to the field of psychiatry circuitously. For almost as long as I wanted to pursue medicine, I thought my future would be in surgery. At an early age, I remember visiting my mother’s laboratory, where she worked as a neuropathologist, and helping her dissect neurological tissue under the microscope. I would sit with her, mesmerized, gently teasing tissue off a monkey spinal cord with the delicate instruments, and imagining a future using similar tools to manipulate tissues and heal illnesses of the body. But while I believed that my future path was in surgery, I naturally gravitated toward the study of the human mind and behavior.

My father is a psychiatrist, and between him and my mother, the dynamic between the mind and brain were always topics of conversation at the dinner table. Partially because of their influence, and largely because of my own inclination and interest, I have always been driven to understand not only the “how” of thought processes and interpersonal interaction, but the “why”. Why do some minds create happiness, and others suffering, in the face of the same external circumstances? How do our internal states transform our external experiences? To what extent are these habits and predispositions fixed, and to what degree can they be reconstructed to improve our relationship with the external world and with ourselves?

When I entered college, instead of focusing on a basic science such as biology or chemistry like many of my pre-med colleagues, I was drawn to the study of psychology. It was here that I first began to investigate the more mysterious aspects of the human mind, and learned the ways the mind and brain can act unpredictably and destructively. I was fascinated by the complex psychopathologies of mental illness and motivated to understand the anatomical and biological basis of psychiatric disorders. I was struck by the realization that often our own mental processes, in trying to alleviate suffering, would instead create it.

When I graduated, I decided to further investigate these ideas in a research context. I joined the Department of Psychiatry at Stanford University and delved into the study of the relationship between stress, cortisol levels, APOE genotype and cognitive decline in older adults. I found the subject matter challenging and stimulating, and loved the excitement of discovering something new and contributing to the fund of knowledge available to all clinicians and practitioners. But when I entered medical school, I was drawn back toward the surgical specialties. I appreciated the technical aspects of surgery, the almost artistic nature of the field, and the dedicated, conscientious and disciplined nature of the surgeons. I focused on urology as a subspecialty, and directed the same interest that led me to pursue research at Stanford to a project at the USC/Norris Cancer Center investigating comparative pathological findings in men who underwent prostate biopsy and subsequent radical prostatectomy.

I began my third year surgery rotation excited to finally put into practice what I had studied from a theoretical perspective for so long. But instead of dreaming of spending time in the OR, I would look forward to clinic days, where I could sit across from patients about to have surgery, or recovering from a recent operation, and listen attentively as they told stories of fear, sadness and apprehension. I learned how underlying anxiety or distress could manifest as subtle physical complaints, such as pain or insomnia. I began to appreciate how mental states could influence a patient’s interpretation of his or her illness, and either aggravate or mitigate the suffering the patient felt in the face of the same degree of pain. I learned that by simply being attentive and mindful, I could demonstrate my empathy and concern, and show these patients they were not alone in the process.

Physicians in both surgery and psychiatry share a profoundly intimate role in the patient’s life. As a surgeon plunges into the body to heal with a scalpel, a psychiatrist plunges into the mind to heal with a few well-chosen words, an empathetic nod, or medications that modulate the neurochemistry of the brain. My subsequent third and fourth year psychiatry rotations have confirmed that my passion lies in alleviating suffering through reconstructing the mind, rather than in fixing the mechanics of the body. I look forward to developing the skills to transform both the mind and brain to serve my patients in a meaningful way, and am enthusiastic to combine my interest in clinical practice with my passion for academic research to create a fulfilling career in psychiatry.

Residency & What Happened Next

I ended up doing my residency in psychiatry at UCLA from 2010-2013. In late 2013, I found a passion for exploring and studying integrative medicine, and decided to start a private practice after graduation.

However, on December 17, 2013, I went to the ER for what I thought were minor symptoms — but it turned out to be Stage IV Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. I was diagnosed 6 months before completely my residency program.

You can read what happened next here (don’t worry, it has a good ending).

Join My Newsletter

And follow along on social so you don’t miss a thing.

• Apply for Psychiatric Residency

Guide to Applying for Psychiatric Residency

Updated July 2023

Congratulations on choosing one of the most exciting fields in medicine. Not only are psychiatrists uniquely trained to consider the patient from a "whole person" perspective, but the field also includes a wide range of practice settings and diverse opportunities for subspecialization.

Download Now (.pdf)

In the Roadmap to Psychiatric Residency (.pdf) , you will find:

What Should I Do During Medical School to Prepare For a Career in Psychiatry?

Psychiatry programs are generally holistic in their review of applicants. As such, participation in the following are highly valued - longitudinal and meaningful service, leadership, and scholarly experiences that may demonstrate unique individual attributes and a strong commitment to psychiatry.

Planning for 4th Year

Every school will have specific requirements for 4th year. A good place to start is to understand what these requirements are, how many required/elective courses you need to graduate, and generally when these courses are offered.

How to Choose The Right Program

The preferences of each residency applicant will be different, and everyone will prioritize different aspects of a program when making their rank list. The question of which programs might be right for you is a very individual question, and one that is based on your ultimate career goals and what you are looking for in a program.

How Many Programs to Apply To?

Deciding on the number of applications to submit is a difficult decision with a number of factors involved including geographic location. The number of students applying to psychiatry overall and the applications per student have dramatically increased over the last five years. This has made the application process more complicated both for students and residency training directors.

Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation (LOR) are an important opportunity to communicate your personal attributes, strengths, and abilities to programs. LOR usually include the extent to which the writer knows the applicant, specialty to which you are applying, and particular clinical strengths of the applicant. LOR also frequently highlight personal attributes such as humor or empathy and give an overall level of endorsement. Most Psychiatry programs will require three or four LOR.

Personal Statements

The least structured component of the ERAS application is the personal statement. This is an opportunity for you to inject your personal experiences and thoughts into what is otherwise a very structured application. Most students choose to focus on an experience or series or experiences that ignited or solidified their interest in psychiatry. While there may be many reasons why you are passionate about psychiatry, statements usually are more cohesive and read better if you pick one theme or experience and focus on developing it, rather than jump from one topic to another.

Nuts and Bolts of The Interview Day

In this section, you will be guided through scheduling, travel tips, and interview preparation. This includes suggested areas to discuss with your interviewer, as well as sample questions for residents.

Post-Interview Communication

Consider writing thank you notes to any program which you plan to rank. You may consider sending thank you notes to the individual people you interviewed with, the Program Director and the program coordinators and assistants who helped to schedule your interview. However, make sure to know the guidelines for interview and post-interview communication prior to reaching out.

What Happens If You Do Not Match?

On the third Monday of March, you will learn whether you matched. Students who do not match have the opportunity to participate in the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) to apply to any unfilled programs.

Special Topics

Within this section, find highlights on faculty advisors, advice for at-risk students, considerations for Osteopathic medical students, and International Medical Graduates (IMGs).

Medical leadership for mind, brain and body.

Mobile menu.

• Psychiatrists
• Residents & Medical Students
• Patients and Families
• Advocacy & APAPAC
• Diversity & Health Equity
• Research & Registry
• Meetings & Events
• Search Directories & Databases
• International
• Medical Students
• What is Psychiatry?
• Find a Psychiatrist
• Addiction and Substance Use Disorders
• Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease
• Alcohol Use Disorder
• Anxiety Disorders
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Bipolar Disorders
• Climate Change and Mental Health Connections
• Coping After Disaster
• Disruptive, Impulse-Control and Conduct Disorders
• Dissociative Disorders
• Domestic Violence
• Eating Disorders
• E-Cigarettes and Vaping
• Gambling Disorder
• Gender Dysphoria
• Helping a Loved One Cope with Mental Illness
• Hoarding Disorder
• Integrated Behavioral Healthcare
• Intellectual Disability
• Internet Gaming
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Opioid Use Disorder
• Perinatal Depression (formerly Postpartum)
• Personality Disorders
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Prolonged Grief Disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
• Sleep Disorders
• Somatic Symptom Disorder
• Specific Learning Disorders
• Stigma, Prejudice and Discrimination Against People with Mental Illness
• Suicide Prevention
• Technology Addictions: Social Media, Online Gaming, and More
• Warning Signs of Mental Illness
• Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
• What is Mental Illness?
• What is Psychotherapy?
• What is Telepsychiatry?
• La Salud Mental
• Childhood Disorders: Medication Guides for Parents
• Lifestyle to Support Mental Health
• Member Benefits
• Honorary Fellowship (FAPA & DFAPA)
• Awards & Leadership Opportunities
• Get Involved
• Directories, Contact Info & FAQs
• District Branches
• APA's Vision, Mission, Values, and Goals
• Meet Our Organization
• Read APA Organization Documents and Policies
• Work At APA
• About APA's Headquarters
• Policy Finder
• News Releases
• Messages from the APA President
• Reporting on Mental Health Conditions
• Goldwater Rule
• Annual Meeting Press Registration + Guidelines
• APA Public Opinion Polls
• Reporter Toolkit: Recommendations on Covering the AAPI Community
• Comunicados de prensa en español
• APA Annual Meeting
• APA Communities
• APA Foundation
• APA Learning Center
• APA Publishing
• Center for Workplace Mental Health
• Melvin Sabshin, M.D. Library & Archives
• Psychiatric News
• Psychiatry Online
• SMI Adviser
• Annual Meeting
• APA On Demand
• At the APA Educational Series
• Books and Journals
• Certification and Licensure
• Diversity and Health Equity Education Resources
• Meeting Submission and Guidelines
• Mental Health Innovation Zone
• The Mental Health Services Conference
• The Virtual Immersive
• Virtual Paid Courses
• Clinical Practice Guidelines
• Covid-19 / Coronavirus
• Digital Mental Health
• Helping Patients Access Care
• Media and Communications
• Mental Health Apps
• Mental Health Parity
• Practice Management
• Professional Interests
• Quality Improvement
• Risk Management
• Social Media
• Sunshine Act
• Telepsychiatry
• The Clozapine Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) Program
• Transition to Practice and Early Career Resources
• Well-being and Burnout
• Mental Health and Faith Community Partnership
• Mental Health Equity Looking Beyond Series
• Minority and Underrepresented (M/UR) Caucuses
• Moore Equity in Mental Health Initiative
• News and Updates
• Striving for Excellence Series
• AMNet: Addiction Medicine Practice Based Research Network
• PsychPRO: APA's Mental Health Registry
• Research Colloquium for Junior Psychiatrist Investigators
• Perinatal Mental Health Toolkit
• Psychiatric Bed Crisis Report
• Advocacy Action Center
• Congressional Advocacy Network
• Federal Affairs
• State Affairs
• Implementing 9-8-8
• Advocacy Update Webinars
• 2025 Annual Meeting
• The 2024 Mental Health Services Conference
• Addressing Structural Racism Town Hall Series
• APA Meetings App
• Governance Meetings
• Mental Health Equity Fireside Chat Series
• Moore Equity in Mental Health 5K
• Policy & Practice Insights Series
• September Component Meetings
• Social Determinants of Mental Health Town Hall Series
• Amicus Briefs
• Assembly Directory
• Component Directory
• Conference Publications
• Library and Archive
• Member Directory
• Member Obituaries
• Practice Guidelines
• Resource Documents
• International Trainees
• International Humanitarian Opportunities
• Global Mental Health
• International Medical Graduates Resources
• Residents' Journal
• Featured Publications
• APA/APAF Fellowships
• External Fellowships and Awards
• Helping Residents Cope with a Patient Suicide
• Vacant Resident Positions
• Leadership Positions
• SET for Success
• Choosing a Career in Psychiatry
• Building a Career in Psychiatry
• Medical Student Programs
• Resident-Fellow Census
• Transitioning to Residency During COVID-19
• What Is a Substance Use Disorder?
• Expert Q&A: Addiction and Substance Use Disorders
• What Are Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease?
• Expert Q&A: Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease
• What are Anxiety Disorders?
• Expert Q&A: Anxiety Disorders
• What is ADHD?
• Expert Q&A: ADHD
• What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?
• Expert Q&A: Autism Spectrum Disorder
• What Are Bipolar Disorders?
• Expert Q&A: Bipolar Disorder
• How Extreme Weather Events Affect Mental Health
• Who Is Affected by Climate Change?
• What Is Depression?
• Expert Q&A: Depression
• What are Disruptive, Impulse Control and Conduct Disorders?
• Expert Q&A: Disruptive, Impulse Control and Conduct Disorders
• What Are Dissociative Disorders?
• Expert Q&A: Dissociative Disorders
• What are Eating Disorders?
• Expert Q&A: Eating Disorders
• What is Gambling Disorder?
• Expert Q&A: Gambling Disorder
• What is Gender Dysphoria?
• Expert Q&A: Gender Dysphoria
• What is Hoarding Disorder?
• Expert Q&A: Hoarding Disorder
• What is Intellectual Disability?
• Expert Q&A: Intellectual Disability
• What Is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?
• Expert Q&A: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• What is Perinatal Depression (formerly Postpartum)?
• Expert Q&A: Perinatal Depression
• What are Personality Disorders?
• Expert Q&A: Personality Disorders
• What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
• Expert Q&A: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• What is Schizophrenia?
• Expert Q&A: Schizophrenia
• What are Sleep Disorders?
• Expert Q&A: Sleep Disorders
• What is Somatic Symptom Disorder?
• Expert Q&A: Somatic Symptom Disorder
• What Are Specific Learning Disorders?
• Expert Q&A: Specific Learning Disorders
• What is Technology Addiction?
• Expert Q&A: Technology Addiction
• Cigarrillos electrónicos y vapeo
• Trastorno del espectro autista
• Trastorno por consumo de alcohol
• Trastorno por consumo de opioides
• Trastorno de estrés postraumático (TEPT)
• Adicción a la tecnología: redes sociales, juegos en línea, y más
• ¿Qué es la psiquiatría?
• Conexiones entre el cambio climático y la salud mental
• General Members
• Early Career Psychiatrists
• Residents and Fellows
• International Resident-Fellows
• Semi-Retired and Retired
• View Your Profile
• Resident-Fellow Members
• Fellow of the APA
• Distinguished Fellow of the APA
• International Fellow of the APA
• International Distinguished Fellow of the APA
• 2024 Class of Honorary Fellows
• 2025 APA National Elections
• Councils, Committees and Components
• Resident-Fellow Leadership Opportunities
• Advocacy and APAPAC
• APA Specialty Interest Caucuses, Listservs & Communities
• Leadership, Equity and Diversity Institute
• Mentorship Program for APA/APAF Fellows
• Research Colloquium
• Contact Your Membership Specialist
• Contact Your District Branch
• Membership FAQs
• Semi-Retired and Retired FAQs
• Lump Sum Dues
• District Branch Resources
• District Branch Dues for General Members
• District Branch Dues for Residents and Fellows

• Communities Pre-Med Medical Resident Audiology Dental Optometry Pharmacy Physical Therapy Podiatry Psychology Rehab Sci Veterinary
• What's new Trending New posts Latest activity
• Support Account Help Confidential Advising
• Vision, Values and Policies
• Physician and Resident Communities (MD / DO)

Writing about personal mental illness in ERAS personal statement

• Thread starter JoseyCali123
• Start date Mar 31, 2019

JoseyCali123

Full member.

• Mar 31, 2019

Board Certified in Clinical Neuropsychology

When it comes to writing about personal experiences with mental illness, it can be very powerful in a personal statement context. Problem is, very few people can do it well. I'm in a relatively different area (Psychology/Neuropsychology) but I'd say about 5% of the people that attempt to do this, do it well. You can ask here about psychiatry, but I would wager that a minority of individuals who try to do so, succeed in doing it well in a positive manner for application purposes.  

This has been asked many times and answered. You can use the search function for detailed answers. Briefly: no. Just don't. It's a bad idea.  

The personal statement is more about assessing your potential floor rather than your ceiling. Think of it more like a sensitive test to rule out out something bad, rather than a specific test that rules in something good. Except in some rare circumstance, the personal statement isn’t giving a ton of traction relative to the rest of the application. Obviously, this interpretation will vary from reviewer to reviewer, but so will some of the disparate views regarding whatever you write.  

Do not do this. do not pass go. Do not collect 200 dollars.  

Thank You for Smoking

• Apr 1, 2019

I agree with @WisNeuro in that it's something that can potentially be meaningful, but the key is in the execution. In general, I would recommend avoiding a disclosure like this unless it's impossible to do so (e.g., you had to take a leave of absence, work suffered immensely as a result of mental health issues, etc.), and even then I would get some feedback about your personal statement to make sure that it reads like you're wanting it to read.  

deleted480308

Imagine you are hiring a sherpa to carry your stuff up a mountain. One of the applicants for the sherpa job includes a very well written essay about their multiple bouts of altitude sickness, back problems and knee surgeries. There is a lot of risk with almost no real payoff potential  

OP DO NOT do this. A discussion with my old med school PD -- a lot of programs actively try to screen out people with MH issues. At the end of the day hospitals need cheap labour... if there's a high chance of a worker having mental breakdowns and thus aren't able to produce, then they are seen as an economic liability to the hospital/program. This sounds awful coming from the field of psychiatry, but do your best to hide ANY mental health issues on the interview trial.  

sb247 said: Imagine you are hiring a sherpa to carry your stuff up a mountain. One of the applicants for the sherpa job includes a very well written essay about their multiple bouts of altitude sickness, back problems and knee surgeries. There is a lot of risk with almost no real payoff potential Click to expand...

Mass Effect

I don't know. I revealed a chronic potentially debilitating health issue on both med school apps and residency apps. People commented on it at multiple interviews. I don't think it held me back. That said, it depends on the mental health issue. You had a problem with anxiety? Sure. You're suffering from schizophrenia? I probably wouldn't.  

No. Do not. You shouldn’t need to reference this if it’s been adequately treated and overcome - you have other accomplishments and distinctions to reference without highlighting potential risks.  

Mass Effect said: I don't know. I revealed a chronic potentially debilitating health issue on both med school apps and residency apps. People commented on it at multiple interviews. I don't think it held me back. That said, it depends on the mental health issue. You had a problem with anxiety? Sure. You're suffering from schizophrenia? I probably wouldn't. Click to expand...

Former jolly good fellow

• Apr 2, 2019

Although it's illegal and unethical, some programs will nail you for having a mental health problem toss you out from consideration. It's not right but it happens and there's no way you will be able to prove they did it. I've mentioned this before. Students applying to residency have asked me what to do. I tell them, of course you have to admit to it if they ask about it on the application, but I also tell them what I mentioned above-you admit to it, unfairly or not they will possibly toss you out, then tell them I don't got a good answer of what they really should do vs what I'm supposed to tell them to do. If you, however, don't tell them, and you are caught in a lie that is serious too. Lying on an application is illegal although most places won't get the law involved, but it also pretty much leaves you potentially defenseless if your health problem acts up and you need time off or other things from the program because it's hurting your ability to do your job.  

whopper said: Although it's illegal and unethical, some programs will nail you for having a mental health problem toss you out from consideration. It's not right but it happens and there's no way you will be able to prove they did it. I've mentioned this before. Students applying to residency have asked me what to do. I tell them, of course you have to admit to it if they ask about it on the application, but I also tell them what I mentioned above-you admit to it, unfairly or not they will possibly toss you out, then tell them I don't got a good answer of what they really should do vs what I'm supposed to tell them to do. If you, however, don't tell them, and you are caught in a lie that is serious too. Lying on an application is illegal although most places won't get the law involved, but it also pretty much leaves you potentially defenseless if your health problem acts up and you need time off or other things from the program because it's hurting your ability to do your job. Click to expand...

Seriously, dude, I think you're overreacting....

Bad idea. As noted above, don’t ever lie on an app. But don’t go out of your way to volunteer extra info either. This kind of unsolicited admission is almost certainly going to hurt you more than it helps.  

Nobody is going to ask you about medical conditions outside of whether you can meet the technical standards on your application to school/residency. For licensure you will in some states be asked and a serious persistent type mental illness (bipolar, schizophrenia) could be a problem. If your problem is depression or anxiety, you and 20-40% of other applicants (probably more in psych even) can join the club. It’s not even interesting or uncommon to be worth writing.  

clausewitz2

I matched this year and I disclosed my mental health history in my personal statement. It was the major catalyst that lead me to choosing psychiatry and I would've felt disingenuous if I hadn't mentioned it. Granted, I ended up matching pretty low on my rank list, but whether that was due to my disclosing is impossible to know. Just offering an alternate perspective.  

• Apr 3, 2019

Unethical? To screen a known risk factor regarding work performance and program completion? Click to expand...

I matched this year and I disclosed my mental health history in my personal statement. It was the major catalyst that lead me to choosing psychiatry and I would've felt disingenuous if I hadn't mentioned it. Granted, I ended up matching pretty low on my rank list, but whether that was due to my disclosing is impossible to know. Just offering an alternate perspective. Click to expand...

whopper said: Good for you for doing what you believed in. Did it affect you? Like you said, I don't know, and we may never know. It is a risky move. Click to expand...

whopper said: It is so if the person is being treated for it and can otherwise work, but is not being given as much as a chance vs someone who never had a mental health disorder. Bear in mind psychiatrists are supposed to help to defuse the stigma against the mentally ill by opposing employers that would not hire someone with a mental health disorder that could otherwise work. The unethical part is where many programs are likely not even giving the applicant a fair chance despite that the person's mental health problem is being effectively treated. Good for you for doing what you believed in. Did it affect you? Like you said, I don't know, and we may never know. It is a risky move. Click to expand...

MacDonaldTriad

• Apr 4, 2019

Ethics, fairness, stigma.... These are job interviews. If you interviewed for a job at Starbucks as a barista, you wouldn't talk about your depression. Like all job interviews, the applicant is also sizing up the job to see if it is a good fit, but don't lead with this attitude. Applicant: "I understand that you have call. How can you assure that clinical duties are not precluding your educational mission?" Program Director's internal dialogue: "Next!"  

whopper said: The unethical part is where many programs are likely not even giving the applicant a fair chance despite that the person's mental health problem is being effectively treated. Click to expand...

Professional Cat at Large

Well you would be in good company with the other hundred applicants who have the same idea if you did, as it is one of the six personal statements in psychiatry but as mentioned above it does tend to have the potential to backfire. The way to think about info in your PS - is this something that you want all the faculty and co-residents to know? (because they will be reading your PS and interviewing you or ranking etc). So bear that in mind. My advice for personal statements is the keep it boring. Tell us about what excites you about a career in psychiatry, what your career goals are, any relevant past experiences (e.g. volunteering, clinical experiences, research, teaching, past career), and what you are looking for in a residency program. The clarity of the writing and quality of written communication are just as, if not more, important than the content. Use lots of action words, convey lots of enthusiasm, and have a generally positive tone, even if there are some more sombre parts to your story. No one wants to read a depressing PS. And especially for IMGs, make sure that the English good - spelling, punctuation, grammar, correct use of idioms. And don't put anything like "I am honored to apply to your esteemed residency program" which a lot of foreign grads seem to have learned from somewhere. Also remember doctors are horrible people and will judge you for being sick. Probably best to avoid mentioning any illness (mental or physical) unless it is unavoidable. An alternative perspective, is you may not want to match at a program that would judge you so. However, as psychiatry is somewhat more competitive than in the past, I am not sure I would advise all but the most stellar applicants to carry that attitude.  

• Apr 5, 2019

, there's no reason to disclose if it has been effectively treated. Click to expand...

Bad idea. As noted above, don’t ever lie on an app. But don’t go out of your way to volunteer extra info either. This kind of unsolicited admission is almost certainly going to hurt you more than it helps. Click to expand...

whopper said: Not if in doing so you're lying on the application. Many applications state something to the effect of "do you suffer" and/or "have you suffered" from an illness that could affect your job. Click to expand...

There is no such question requiring you to divulge your health information in your personal statement. Click to expand...

whopper said: I haven't done an ERAS recently so if you have seen the last application and your information is accurate then you are correct in regards to the personal statement itself. Click to expand...

Don’t do it. You’re not going to standout in a good way.  

Similar threads

• Oct 25, 2023

• painballer27
• May 26, 2022

• Jan 20, 2023

• May 29, 2023

• Sep 22, 2021

• This site uses cookies to help personalize content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies and terms of service . Accept Learn more…

Get the Reddit app

Professionals here to answer your psychiatric questions. Moderators have verified credentials for any member with flair.

My psychiatrist won't answer to any forms of contact. What should I do?

My psychiatrist has been very strange lately. I got a text about a statement from them which took me to my patient portal. I owe $500 for visits that never happened. I always put down my appointments on my phone and the dates don't match at all. I've tried calling an emailing but they won't respond. I even called my insurance and they were just as confused as I was. I then tried going there in person.

A while back my psychiatrist said they were transferring all clients to telehealth appointments only, so it's been a while since I've been there in person. The address is completely different now and it took me to a place that my fiancee later found out was a building where a lot of MLM schemes run out of. When I went no one was there at their office and there were many "We missed you!" Letters from UPS on their door.

This is starting to get really sketchy for me and I'd like to get that statement resolved and end service with them, but hoe can I do that when no form of communication is working?