Medical exam & Mental Health

[redmist 10]

Hello all,

 

there is something that has been gnawing at me since starting the process. Theres a few posts I was able to find now discussing the possible link to poor mental health and denial of the visa. 

 

I don't plan on going too much in depth so here is the situation: I had been in therapy from age 12 til I was 18. On top of that I had an involuntary hospital stay for about a month when I was 12 as well due to the doubt I could cause fatal harm to myself. I am currently looking for another therapist because up until I was 18 I was a minor and now I am an adult and therapists usually specify here on which age group they treat. The only diagnosed conditions I have are depression, PTSD and an unspecified personality disorder. Most of the information I can find is rather outdated, since I feel as though the stigma around mental health has lessened a little with recent years, but I do know that that unspecified personality disorder might be a problem because that part definitely hold a lot of stigma still.

 

Now, luckily I don't have a lot of visible scars that might make my past clear in the medical exam. I do plan on going on an anti-depressant with my new therapist, which I believe is something I would definitely have to tell whoever will examine me. 

So my question is now: How much should I offer up? Do I have to offer up anything at all besides the medication? I was 12 at the time of the hospital stay which is basically a decade ago and I was a child. I see most people don't want to risk pretending like that part of them doesn't exist but rather are upfront about it, gathering mostly letters from a GP and possible therapist proving that they are no harm to themselves or other people. It does sound like the safer route to go. Personally I am also from Germany and I've seen some employers literally be able to find out whether or not you've been in therapy before. 

 

Anywho, any experiences, advice or tips for how to go about this would be appreciated! Many thanks!

[Ximena Anna 7]

Honestly my medical is in 3 weeks and I've been stressing out this past month trying to get my hands on all my immunization and serious hospital records since I was a baby. Especially the hospital records related to mental health. I now have hundreds of pages on my hands and I'm going to post-it note and highlight the important and most recent parts where they say I'm stable, not a threat etc. I'll let you know how I go

Edited April 4, 2023 by Ximena Anna

[Sammy_2496 116]

You will need to get documentation about your mental health history from your doctor. I dont know how Germany does it, but in the UK we have to provide a summary of our health history and then extra information about any significant health conditions (physical or mental). I recommend you get a letter from your doctor and therapist, what they are looking for is the magic words “not at risk of harm to themselves or others”, there are other posts like this that would definitely help… like this one that could help more 

With mental health you’re looking at a class A or class b condition (class b does not make you inadmissible, only class a)

Here is a link to the CDC website which explains it ☺️

https://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/panel-physicians/mental-health.html

Good luck ☺️

Edited April 4, 2023 by Sammy_2496

[redmist 10]

8 minutes ago, Sammy_2496 said:

You will need to get documentation about your mental health history from your doctor. I dont know how Germany does it, but in the UK we have to provide a summary of our health history and then extra information about any significant health conditions (physical or mental). I recommend you get a letter from your doctor and therapist, what they are looking for is the magic words “not at risk of harm to themselves or others”, there are other posts like this that would definitely help… like this one that could help more 

With mental health you’re looking at a class A or class b condition (class b does not make you inadmissible, only class a)

Here is a link to the CDC website which explains it ☺️

https://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/panel-physicians/mental-health.html

Good luck ☺️

Thank you, especially for that post I had not seen before as it is really detailed and insightful. Germany is kind of old-school when it comes to medical records so I do have a folder full of physical copies and original letters explaining hospitalisation and therapies. I will most definitely request a letter from my GP and therapist when the time comes, stating that I am stable and no risk to myself or others. Like the person in their post said, two opinions would be better than one. 

[Sammy_2496 116]

1 minute ago, redmist said:

Thank you, especially for that post I had not seen before as it is really detailed and insightful. Germany is kind of old-school when it comes to medical records so I do have a folder full of physical copies and original letters explaining hospitalisation and therapies. I will most definitely request a letter from my GP and therapist when the time comes, stating that I am stable and no risk to myself or others. Like the person in their post said, two opinions would be better than one. 

Im glad this helped! I think you will be fine 😃