Medical Examination - Self harm scars

[aly16 0]

23 hours ago, JE57 said:

How old are you now?  You hurt yourself when were 13 bad enough to cause serious scars that are still there now at age xx..  you have never been diagnosed with Depression presumably because you've never had a mental health evaluation.   While wearing long sleeves may be an option, like everything else in the immigration process you must be honest.    If the scars are observed and questioned then I doubt that your explanation that they were just something silly you did as a teenager is going to carry much weight.  To my way of thinking there is no reason not to go have a discussion with a mental health care professional in advance and get a note that you'd bring to your interview but only present if asked about the scars.  The potential problem would be if the mental health provider were to actually diagnose you as depressed and then you would need to disclose that on your medical.  Good Luck....    

-

It's this statement that you made that gave me the most reason for concern.... ' which I am not obviously, it was just a stupid mistake I made as a teenager'   While it may be obvious to you it will not be obvious to someone asking about scars who has met you only for the first time.

I’m 18 years old now. And I don’t think my local GP can vouch for me, I don’t even know who he is (I haven’t seen a doctor for a long long time). 

[aly16 0]

17 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

You will be wearing a hospital gown at your exam in London, so forget the long sleeve suggestions. If you have a GP you have been to enough that knows you, get a written statement. It can explain that in your x years at their practice,  you have never been treated for depression or exhibited any signs of being a threat to yourself or others. In general, the Knightsbridge clinic is supposed to make an evaluation of you mental health. Since they see you for 15-20 minutes, they would like information from a health care professional who would know you better to weigh in on the subject. If you take nothing concerning your history, you may be asked to return to London for a psych evaluation (at an additional cost). There have been others going through Knightsbridge who had similar scars and were cleared for a visa. 

I literally haven’t been to a GP in years. I don’t even know who my doctor is let alone get a medical note explaining my current situation! 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

3 hours ago, aly16 said:

I literally haven’t been to a GP in years. I don’t even know who my doctor is let alone get a medical note explaining my current situation! 

Then you will discuss your situation at Knightsbridge and see what further evaluation with a specialist they might want from you. Save up some extra money to pay for a private exam and expect that your process may be longer than average because of a potential medical delay. 

[NikLR 13,232]

The dr will want to discuss it with you.  In my old job in retail I would unload a lot of boxes, move furniture, shelves, etc... i scratch and mark easily and the dr was concerned that I was or had been self harming.  I wasnt, nor had I ever, so I had to explain the scratches.  He said he didn't realize retail was such a dangerous job. The dr will ask and if not satisfied with your answer will ask for a psychiatric evaluation.  Since you dont have a GP you may have to find someone who will evaluate your state of mind.  

[aly16 0]

11 hours ago, NikLR said:

The dr will want to discuss it with you.  In my old job in retail I would unload a lot of boxes, move furniture, shelves, etc... i scratch and mark easily and the dr was concerned that I was or had been self harming.  I wasnt, nor had I ever, so I had to explain the scratches.  He said he didn't realize retail was such a dangerous job. The dr will ask and if not satisfied with your answer will ask for a psychiatric evaluation.  Since you dont have a GP you may have to find someone who will evaluate your state of mind.  

Why wouldn't they be satisfied with my answer? This literally happened when I was 13 and I obviously have NO intention of doing it again. Like I'm 18 now, and haven't done it since, so I'm clearly not depressed (I'm quite the opposite actually). 

[NikLR 13,232]

25 minutes ago, aly16 said:

Why wouldn't they be satisfied with my answer? This literally happened when I was 13 and I obviously have NO intention of doing it again. Like I'm 18 now, and haven't done it since, so I'm clearly not depressed (I'm quite the opposite actually). 

They may or may not be satisfied with your answer I'm saying be aware if they are not, then be prepared.   

[geowrian 22,338]

21 minutes ago, aly16 said:

Why wouldn't they be satisfied with my answer? This literally happened when I was 13 and I obviously have NO intention of doing it again. Like I'm 18 now, and haven't done it since, so I'm clearly not depressed (I'm quite the opposite actually). 

They are inclined not to take any answer at face value at an abundance of caution. They only get to know you for minutes. Unlike a typical doctor visit, they are working on behalf of the embassy/DOS.

 

That said they may see that they are old scars, ask you about them, and be satisfied with that since there's nothing recent.

[caliliving 606]

1 hour ago, NikLR said:

They may or may not be satisfied with your answer I'm saying be aware if they are not, then be prepared.   

agree.. you could not say anything and if they ask you must answer truthfully.  we  have no pictures here or anything of your scars so maybe they are not as bad as you think, but maybe they are very bad.  i probably would not bring it up but if they ask specifically then do not lie! tell them the truth!  

[Wuozopo 4,293]

3 hours ago, caliliving said:

agree.. you could not say anything and if they ask you must answer truthfully.  we  have no pictures here or anything of your scars so maybe they are not as bad as you think, but maybe they are very bad.  i probably would not bring it up but if they ask specifically then do not lie! tell them the truth!  

 

Whether they notice or not is kinda beside the point. The medical questionnaire you have to take in to your London medical appointment includes:

8. Have you ever caused deliberate injury to yourself or others? 

 

And they give you another one that's similar to fill out when you arrive. 

Edited November 19, 2017 by Wuozopo

[aly16 0]

18 hours ago, caliliving said:

agree.. you could not say anything and if they ask you must answer truthfully.  we  have no pictures here or anything of your scars so maybe they are not as bad as you think, but maybe they are very bad.  i probably would not bring it up but if they ask specifically then do not lie! tell them the truth!  

Here is a picture if you’re curious..

[JE57 239]

On 11/19/2017 at 6:37 AM, aly16 said:

Why wouldn't they be satisfied with my answer? This literally happened when I was 13 and I obviously have NO intention of doing it again. Like I'm 18 now, and haven't done it since, so I'm clearly not depressed (I'm quite the opposite actually). 

Well so well 5 years may seem like an eternity to you I would suggest that you consider you answer more fully if you are asked about them.  You say 'obviously have NO intention of doing it again' and that you are 'clearly' not depressed.  What may be obvious and clear to you in your mind is going to be looked at with a lot of skepticism by a doctor and it will NOT be obvious or clear to them.   I would suggest that someone who self harmed 'only' 5 years ago should have a pretty good explanation as to WHY they did it 5 years ago and what has changed since then to prevent a re-occurrence of self harm   You are young, in love, and planning a new life in the USA, good for you!   However, there will be stress along the way and not all will be rosy all the time. Ask yourself what happened 5 years ago and why you did it.   Hint:  It wasn't something silly you did, and simply 'knowing it was wrong' isn't compelling reason enough to be convincing as to why you wouldn't do it or other self harming techniques again...   If I'm the Dr and I ask about the scars I would want to hear an thoughtful answer that explained how circumstances got the best of you at the time and how you've matured or changed to be able to better deal with negative thoughts or circumstances.   I my opinion if you say oh it was just something silly I did when I was a teenager and obviously I wouldn't do it again and clearly I'm not depressed or anything I as a doctore would insist that you have a though work-up by a mental health professional. But I'm not a Dr. so perhaps you'll skate thru with the it was a silly thing answer.

   

[aly16 0]

13 hours ago, JE57 said:

Well so well 5 years may seem like an eternity to you I would suggest that you consider you answer more fully if you are asked about them.  You say 'obviously have NO intention of doing it again' and that you are 'clearly' not depressed.  What may be obvious and clear to you in your mind is going to be looked at with a lot of skepticism by a doctor and it will NOT be obvious or clear to them.   I would suggest that someone who self harmed 'only' 5 years ago should have a pretty good explanation as to WHY they did it 5 years ago and what has changed since then to prevent a re-occurrence of self harm   You are young, in love, and planning a new life in the USA, good for you!   However, there will be stress along the way and not all will be rosy all the time. Ask yourself what happened 5 years ago and why you did it.   Hint:  It wasn't something silly you did, and simply 'knowing it was wrong' isn't compelling reason enough to be convincing as to why you wouldn't do it or other self harming techniques again...   If I'm the Dr and I ask about the scars I would want to hear an thoughtful answer that explained how circumstances got the best of you at the time and how you've matured or changed to be able to better deal with negative thoughts or circumstances.   I my opinion if you say oh it was just something silly I did when I was a teenager and obviously I wouldn't do it again and clearly I'm not depressed or anything I as a doctore would insist that you have a though work-up by a mental health professional. But I'm not a Dr. so perhaps you'll skate thru with the it was a silly thing answer.

   

I was literally thirteen. The reason why I did it? School, stress, exams, my future, pressure from teachers, I thought I was going to go downhill if I didn’t have the top grades. But all of that doesn’t matter anymore as I’ve risen above that and I know better. It’s not fair to let the past define me by my mistakes, or get me denied a visa. Like seriously. You really think they’ll put me through that psych evlaution? How many people do you know who’ve gone through that just because of OLD self harm scars? Because in my defence the only people I know who’ve gone through that have either tried to commit suicide or have some sort of drug abuse history. And I am NEITHER of those. 

Edited November 20, 2017 by aly16

[yuna628 9,747]

OP: You must answer truthfully to every question asked to you, and that includes on the form - regarding self injury or harm. It doesn't matter if it was a one-off thing, or you were a kid and you're now an adult - they are required to know and you are required to answer. Thousands of individuals have had to answer these questions and have been in similar situations for self harm, depression, or even drugs. Answering yes is being truthful, and sometimes there are consequences for being truthful. However being truthful is always honorable. While some don't feel it's fair to be defined by mistakes, there has already been very good advice in this thread of how you can fulfill your end of the requirements and satisfy Knightsbridge and the embassy. It is not about them being 'satisfied' with your answer... if you want to be successful in obtaining the visa, one does what they have to do to satisfy them under the requirements. It doesn't matter where you think you're at now, and they are not going to take your word for it.

 

If you wish to avoid any headaches, delays, or hassle you need to go seek out your GP. If you don't know who that is then you need to find out who that is and discuss the situation with them. You will need to bring a letter from that GP detailing the events surrounding any self harm, any diagnosis or medical opinion regarding your current state, and finally the most important words ''this patient is not a threat to themselves or others''. You will almost certainly need to seek out your GP anyway, as you will need a record of vaccinations, new vaccinations that are required as part of this visa process, etc. These records and letters are required for anyone, let alone someone with a prior history of self harm.

[aly16 0]

17 minutes ago, aly16 said:

I was literally thirteen. The reason why I did it? School, stress, exams, my future, pressure from teachers, I thought I was going to go downhill if I didn’t have the top grades. But all of that doesn’t matter anymore as I’ve risen above that and I know better. It’s not fair to let the past define me by my mistakes, or get me denied a visa. Like seriously. You really think they’ll put me through that psych evaluation? How many people do you know who’ve gone through that just because of OLD self harm scars? Because in my defence the only people I know who’ve gone through that have either tried to commit suicide or have some sort of drug abuse history. And I am NEITHER of those. 

Not to mention that I was also bullied, and that contributed a massive factor to my self harm

Edited November 20, 2017 by aly16
additional info

[NikLR 13,232]

I was bullied as a child and never self harmed.  I can tell your age by your liberal use of the word "literally."  Yes for you, 5 years ago was an eternity, but that is only 1 year more than the age difference between my husband and I.  5 years isnt a very long time for many of us, but for a teenager it is majority of your growing up period.  

If the embassies and consulates took everything as people's words, visas would never be denied.  If I was questioned about random scratches on my arms from boxes then I believe you should also be prepared for questions about yours.  You have hurt yourself once upon a time.  A psych eval that provides evidence that you are no longer in a place where you would do so shouldn't make you this defensive.  If you need it, do it.  Nothing to fear nor hide right?