Angel
Can someone be a psychologist if they have been diagnosed with some sort of brain disorder such as depression?
just wondering. #psychology #psychological-assessment
4 answers
Lauren Hall
Lauren’s Answer
Yes, you can still obtain a graduate degree in psychology if you are diagnosed with a disorder. Your medical history does not preclude you from obtaining admission to graduate school or obtaining a job as a clinical psychologist in the private sector. Your medical history, however, may affect how well you succeed in both graduate school and the labor market. Symptoms of any disorder may interfere with your professional and social life. If you suffer from depression, you should consult your doctor for treatment. Treatment will help you in accomplishing your professional goals.
Thank you for the honesty. Do you think it would be wrong to keep details about my mental health to myself throughout college and my career?
Deana
Hi Deana,
Your health is a private matter, and many people who enter the mental health professions do so because they or family members have dealt with similar issues. It is important to be as healthy as you can be and to take good care of yourself, which includes taking your medicine, if prescribed, and going to your own therapy, as well as all the other good things like eating healthy, getting enough sleep, exercising, using good coping skills and not abusing substances. I would encourage you to go to your school counselor or seek therapy now to help you think about this as you make your decisions. Good luck!
Jeanne Miller
Linda Ann Robinson, Ph.D.
Linda Ann’s Answer
From an educational perspective, yes, you could be admitted to a graduate program IF you meet all of the academic requirements of a specific program (good GRE scores, high GPA, great letters of recommendation and research experience). Please be advised that many programs in clinical psychology require you to go through therapy yourself as a part of the training program. If your mentors believe that you are not well enough to help others, then you might be disqualified from proceeding in your program. True, clinical depression can/does interfere with the learning process....so, you need to get back to normal functioning so that you can succeed in graduate school.
Psychologists have a very strong Code of Ethics. I recommend going to the web site of the American Psychological Association to down load the Code of Ethics. You can help heal someone else if you are not healed yourself...
Christopher Keemer, MA, TLLP
Christopher’s Answer
Yes! You can still be a psychologist with a diagnosis. You just have to make sure you take proper care of yourself so you can effectively treat clients. Your health is important is not only to you but to your clients.
Gina Abbeduto
Gina’s Answer
Absolutely.
There are ethical guidelines for how and when you provide care, i.e. you have to take care of your health before you attempt to take care of a client's health. Go to your specific ethics code for the details--I follow the ACA guidelines.