Should PreMedical Students Discuss Their Mental Health Conditions on Their Medical School Applications?

Mental health disorders are becoming increasingly common among undergraduate students, and premedical students may be especially vulnerable to those conditions because of the high levels of competition and stress they experience in their college programs. At least a quarter of premedical students experience mental health conditions that may be relevant to discuss when they are applying for medical school. However, there has been little research on whether revealing those mental health conditions on their medical school applications impacts students’ chances of being accepted. Thus, a recent study set out to understand how medical school admissions committee members view applicants who reveal a mental health condition. Here are some of the primary findings:

Admissions committee members did not have a bias against applicants who revealed a mental health condition.

The study found that admissions committee members viewed applicants who revealed a mental health condition as equally acceptable, likeable, and competent as applicants who revealed a physical health condition or did not reveal a health condition at all.

Most admissions committee members thought that admissions committees would view revealing a mental health condition neutrally, rather than positively or negatively.

Approximately 62% of the committee members reported that if a student were to reveal a mental health condition on a medical school application, an admissions committee would view the condition neutrally. Though some thought that revealing a mental health condition would be viewed negatively, others thought that it could even be viewed positively. The study found that committee member demographics did not impact how they thought mental health conditions would be viewed by admissions committees.

According to admissions committee members, revealing a mental health condition can be beneficial in certain situations but disadvantageous in others.

Admissions committee members reported that it could be beneficial for a student to reveal their mental health condition on a medical school application if they explain that the condition was the reason why they had a temporary drop in their grades, if they explain that they have managed their condition, or if they explain that they grew from the experience of dealing with the condition.
However, committee members reported that revealing a mental health condition could negatively affect an applicant’s likelihood of acceptance if they have not overcome or sought treatment for their condition, if the condition is severe or recurrent, or if the admissions committee suspects that the condition could make it harder for the applicant to succeed in medical school.

So, should premedical students discuss their mental health on their medical school applications? It depends.

The study findings did not support a straightforward answer regarding whether premedical students should discuss their mental health conditions on their medical school applications. Though the study is encouraging that there does not appear to be an overall bias against revealing struggles with mental health, there are nuances to how reviewers interpret someone revealing mental health on an application. Each student’s decision to discuss their mental health on a medical school application should depend on why and how they choose to reveal the information in their application. For example, if the student reveals their condition to explain poor grades or exhibit their personal resilience, the decision could benefit them, but if they leave out details about whether they have received treatment or currently suffer from the condition, revealing could be detrimental to their acceptance.
According to the researchers, their results indicate an increase in acceptance of mental health in the medical field. For many years, mental health has been largely stigmatized in the public and especially in the field of medicine. However, this work shows that as of 2022, neither revealing nor concealing a mental health condition impacts a student’s likelihood of being accepted into medical school, which the authors indicate is a step in the right direction.

For more information, see: 

Abraham, A. E., Busch, C. A., Brownell, S. E., & Cooper, K. M. (2022). Should I write about mental health on my med school app? Examining medical school admissions committee members’ biases regarding mental health conditions. Advances in Physiology Education, 46(4), 526–539. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00094.2022

Post Author

Baylee Edwards is a Ph.D. student in the Research for Inclusive STEM Education (RISE) Center at ASU. Her research explores how students and instructors perceive the relationship between religion and science and the impact that those perceptions have on students’ experiences in biology courses.