Medical Question [Personal Information Inside]

[Alofox 0]

Hello, my fiance and I are in the process of getting her K1 visa processed. Her medical interview is Wednesday November 9th and her interview is on November 21st. After doing some reading prompted by her, I discovered a potential snag with the medical.

As a teenager she had depression issues, which included an instance in which she performed some self-harm (scars on the wrist). After that she was able to overcome these issues due to the support of her parents, and is now completely healthy.

My concern is that she will get questioned about it at the medical, and that she may need to go to a follow-up psych evaluation to confirm that she is of stable mind. The big question is: will there be enough time to get all of that done before the interview comes up on the 21st?

Thanks for reading and being respectful.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Your fiancée needs to answer the Panel physician's questions honestly but she would not be the first person here to have dealt with depression in the past or currently. It is not a reason for them to deny a K1 though. I assume she was treated or counselled at the time and that is how she overcame it? Her doctor could write a note or her current family physician could write a note about past and current situation, whether it required medication etc...every little bit of explanation helps the Panel Physician understand.

Hello, my fiance and I are in the process of getting her K1 visa processed. Her medical interview is Wednesday November 9th and her interview is on November 21st. After doing some reading prompted by her, I discovered a potential snag with the medical.

As a teenager she had depression issues, which included an instance in which she performed some self-harm (scars on the wrist). After that she was able to overcome these issues due to the support of her parents, and is now completely healthy.

My concern is that she will get questioned about it at the medical, and that she may need to go to a follow-up psych evaluation to confirm that she is of stable mind. The big question is: will there be enough time to get all of that done before the interview comes up on the 21st?

Thanks for reading and being respectful.

[Alofox 0]

Your fiancée needs to answer the Panel physician's questions honestly but she would not be the first person here to have dealt with depression in the past or currently. It is not a reason for them to deny a K1 though. I assume she was treated or counselled at the time and that is how she overcame it? Her doctor could write a note or her current family physician could write a note about past and current situation, whether it required medication etc...every little bit of explanation helps the Panel Physician understand.

Thanks for your response. I don't believe she ever considered suicide, I think she just made some bad choices. She did not go to her doctor, her family helped her to get away from that place, so there's no official record. The only evidence that it even happened are the scars (3, about a thumb's length) and her memory.

From what I've read I'm not concerned about her being accepted based on other people's experiences, my big concern is whether or not this will cause a delay and possibly cause us to miss our intervew date entirely as a result.

[Alofox 0]

I wanted to clarify a few things after talking with her. The issues were not depression based, almost entirely based on peer-pressure. She was only 13 at the time and her "friends were doing it" and she made a poor choice. This was why she never went to any professional help, as there was not really ever a mental condition to deal with.

[carocaro 22]

She didn't ever have documented professional care or assessment regarding self injury? Are scars that obvious? I wouldn't volunteer anything unless the MD spots them and asks and then she can say it was drama when she was 13 and no treatment, drugs, psychiatric assessment etc. was ever necessary.

Why open up and volunteer it when it isn't part of her medical history.

Caro

[Alofox 0]

She didn't ever have documented professional care or assessment regarding self injury? Are scars that obvious? I wouldn't volunteer anything unless the MD spots them and asks and then she can say it was drama when she was 13 and no treatment, drugs, psychiatric assessment etc. was ever necessary.

Why open up and volunteer it when it isn't part of her medical history.

Caro

They are fairly obvious, you need only look at her wrist and they are there. My concern is that the doctor will ask for information, not that she'll volunteer it. I've suggested that she not say anything, but be 100% honest if they ask.

[canuckbos 10]

They are fairly obvious, you need only look at her wrist and they are there. My concern is that the doctor will ask for information, not that she'll volunteer it. I've suggested that she not say anything, but be 100% honest if they ask.

I doubt if they will notice. They have a routine they follow with everyone and checking wrists isn't one of them. They do a blood pressure check but the lady who does it has nothing to do with any other part of the exam, she weighs you, checks your eyesight and takes your blood pressure and you are off the the x-ray people, then the doc asks questions from a form, doesn't even glance at you when you are answering, she then gets you to put on a robe in another room, checks your knee reflex, pushes on your tummy and looks to see you are thee correct sex and it's over!

Your fiance's issues aren't documented and I would not say anything about them. Who hasn't had some kind of issue from way back that would be embarassing today....

[dukeandduchess 141]

It depends on how observant the Doctor is. The one I had was super observant. He noticed a Birth Control patch on my arm (well, ok its fairly obvious) and asked what it was/my dose/how long I've used it.

He also noticed I had messed my knee up (I don't even know HOW he noticed, but he did) -- I tore my MCL when I was about 11 but I don't have any noticeable limp or problem walking (and he didn't even see me walk).

If it's super obvious then she needs to be honest because if he notices and she doesn't answer the question truthfully it might make your situation more difficult. I'm pretty sure they would notice scars on the wrist if they paid attention. Cut marks are usually straight too so they don't just look like random scratches...

[Krikit 1,165]

Since she won't be ticking "yes" on the "ever been diagnosed with depression" question on the medical form, it's not very likely to come up unless one of the medical team notices. At worst, there may be a delay in issuance of the visa until they receive confirmation from her GP of sound mind. I imagine, if she is asked about it, she will be able to explain it to their satisfaction and determine that she is not a danger to herself or anyone else. If you do an advanced search with the words "self harm" in parentheses and display results in posts you will find other references to this issue.

This link may be helpful: USCIS Medical Exams: Everything You Wanted to Know

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I think you may have answered it yourself - All she can truthfully do is discuss it if they ask, say there was no medical intervention (totally true) and continue on. She won't have proof she was treated, a letter from a current family physician can confirm she isn't currently being treated for anything now either. No one asked me about all the scars on my knees which look horrible but are nothing more then me being a tomboy and riding bikes too carelessly:) Honestly they may not even ask.

Edited November 8, 2011 by Udella&Wiz

[pocheros 101]

I had a nasty scar on my wrist (it was a burn from a toaster at work) and nobody asked. A doctor should know better than anyone not make assumptions about what a scar came from! Lots of people get in accidents etc. That's not to say she should lie of course, but if she is asked she should just explain it was a long time ago and it was due to peer pressure and not depression, and she didn't require treatment.

[dukeandduchess 141]

I'm not sure if the Montreal-ers have a different form, but I swear it asked if you've ever harmed yourself/an animal/someone else.

I may be remembering it wrong, or maybe Vancouver's medical form is different (what isn't) but I'm pretty sure it asked about self-harm.

After reading other responses, I think if the question asks if she was ever diagnosed with depression she wouldn't be wrong to answer no. If the doctor notices the scars she should be able to explain the situation. My only concern is that I am almost certain there is a specific question about self-harm and if she checked no and then the doctor asks it would be a different situation. Again, this may not apply to the medical at Montreal.