Worries about medical examinations because of past self harm [merged threads]

[Suzanne324 6]

Hello,

 

My husband and I filed last year for a spouse visa via consular processing, he’s a US citizen and I’m a French citizen. 

I need help understanding how I should prepare for the medical exam. I have a past history of self harm with some psychiatric hospitalization from when I was a teenager, I have some scars and a permanent disability (paraplegia) because of it, so I know that I will have to talk about it a lot with the doctor.

 

It happened 5 years ago and nothing else happened after. The thing is that I’m not diagnosed with a mental illness and I have no psychiatrist or medication anymore since years. We’ve actually realized that the main reason of all my issues in the past was actually the medication they were giving me, they considerably worsened my reaction to the very difficult situation I was going through.

 

So I know that it’s really not likely to reoccur and that I don’t have any issue anymore, the psychiatrist told me that I don’t need any follow up years ago. But what would be the best way for me to prove this to the doctor? What documents should I bring? 

 

 

 

 

 

[redmist 10]

From what I've heard and myself having a history of SH and hospitalization:

Seek out a therapist, and/or your main practictioner, two is better than just one to prove that you are not a threat to yourself or others. That is the really crucial thing that you want to be able to show the person who will be examining you during the medical. 

Additionally it wouldn't hurt to express, verbally or confirmed by who is going to write you a letter, that this behaviour has stopped a few years ago and is unlikely to re-occur. 

Be honest, don't try to hide what happened. The medical examiner will want to know everything and is on your side. They gain nothing from making it harder for you, but you should still come prepared. That also means bringing any documentation from psych evals and hospital visits, surgeries etc. Even if it's not something you struggle with right now and it seems stupid to have to get a therapist or professional just for this letter, it's worth it. I don't know how visible your scars are, but from your disability due to the SH you would have to admit to it anyhow and like I said, you wouldn't want to lie. 

 

Like I said, come prepared and then you should be fine. It's something I'm going to have to get through myself but there are stories on here from people with multiple hospital stays for mental well-being, multiple diagnosees and a trail or SH that were honest, and got the letters. And they were fine too. I wish you the best on your journey!

[Chancy 6,243]

*** Moved from IR1/CR1 Progress Reports to IR1/CR1 Process & Procedures ***

 

On 5/13/2023 at 7:38 PM, Suzanne324 said:

what would be the best way for me to prove this to the doctor? What documents should I bring?

 

In addition to the excellent advice from @redmist above, the threads below may help you.  According to their VJ timelines, both members who posted those threads successfully got their visas and already entered the US --

 

 

[Suzanne324 6]

Hello,

 

I am going through CR1 in France and I will soon have to do the medical examination. I have a complicated medical history and I have some worries, I would love to hear what people with more expertise or with similar experiences think.

 

I have a neurological disability that is pretty severe, I can walk and live independently but I still use a crutch often and sometimes a wheelchair. I am not worried about being denied for this, what worries me is why I got this disability. In 2018 at 18 I did a suicide attempt, to be blunt it was a defenestration, and because of how severe it is I wonder if they will be able to overlook it. Between 2017 and 2018 I was also hospitalized in the psych ward several times (6~) because of other minor suicide attempts with medication (3 total).

 

The last time I committed any self harm was more than 4 years ago and the last suicide attempt was more than 5 years ago. Ive been living a very stable and happy life for the last 3 years and I have no symptoms now, my psychiatrist stopped seeing me 3 years ago because she thought I was doing very well, I had no relapses since then. My issues started because as a teenager I was living in a complicated situation (family and abusive relationship) and we realized that they were made a lot worse by the psychiatric meds they gave me for 3 years. The moment I stopped them my physical and mental condition improved drastically in a matter of months.

 

Now I don’t meet the criteria for any mental illness and I don’t require any medication or therapy. My general practitioner made a letter where he explained that he is my general practitioner since 2017 and that I didn’t require any psychiatric treatment or therapy anymore since 3 years because of my good mental health state and that I do not require any medical treatment. He can’t write about my diagnosis and hospitalizations because it’s not allowed in my country, as a doctor he can’t share those informations with anyone else than me and my other doctors.

 

I do not have a letter of my psychiatrist because she is working in another country now, but my GP is the doctor that followed me the longest. I tried getting my medical records from the psychiatric hospital but they just don’t have them, they literally didn’t keep them or just didn’t record much to begin with. I have documents that shows the dates, but I have very little evidence of what the psychiatrist said.

 

I read online that if the dangerous self harming behavior is not likely to reoccur and that more than 12 months passed since the last time it happened then it shouldn’t be a reason to be denied. More than 5 years passed in my case and the reasons why it happened will never reoccur, I was also a teenager, I am a lot more mature and aware of my feelings now that I am in my mid twenties.

 

Do you think that the letter of my doctor, the fact that it happened years ago, the fact that for the last years I’ve been doing really well and my honest explanations will be enough? 
 

thank you in advance for your help 

 

[Chancy 6,243]

*** Merged related threads.  Please post your questions/updates related to this topic in this thread to keep the discussion in one place. ***

[Suzanne324 6]

Is the doctor the one that asks for a mental health evaluation or could it also be the officer at the consulate?

 

I’m asking this because I went did the medical and because of my past history of mental health I was expecting to have a request for a mental health evaluation from the doctor, but he didn’t ask for it. So could this happen later on at the interview or not?

 

thanks for answering 

[Boiler 45,767]

Unlikely, the Medical is where this comes up. What did the Doctor do?

[Suzanne324 6]

1 minute ago, Boiler said:

Unlikely, the Medical is where this comes up. What did the Doctor do?

Okay, thank you! He just went over my medical history, took my vitals and did some coordination tests. He did say that my past history of self harm was a serious matter and that the officer would definitely be alarmed but that he would try to paint it positively because I’m doing very well now and that the documents I have (letters from GP + ex psychologist) are really good, to bring them to the interview. Hopefully my visa will be approved.

[Boiler 45,767]

11 minutes ago, Suzanne324 said:

Okay, thank you! He just went over my medical history, took my vitals and did some coordination tests. He did say that my past history of self harm was a serious matter and that the officer would definitely be alarmed but that he would try to paint it positively because I’m doing very well now and that the documents I have (letters from GP + ex psychologist) are really good, to bring them to the interview. Hopefully my visa will be approved.

There are a lot of Consulates out there and I am most familiar with London and they seem to have a lot of cases like this, can not comment on others.

[powerpuff 6,744]

Another newer continuation thread merged with an existing thread on mental health and self harm and immigration medical. Do not create any more threads on the matter as that’s considered spamming and will lead to admin action against your account.

 

VJ Moderation 

[Suzanne324 6]

On 5/14/2023 at 2:38 AM, Suzanne324 said:

Hello,

 

My husband and I filed last year for a spouse visa via consular processing, he’s a US citizen and I’m a French citizen. 

I need help understanding how I should prepare for the medical exam. I have a past history of self harm with some psychiatric hospitalization from when I was a teenager, I have some scars and a permanent disability (paraplegia) because of it, so I know that I will have to talk about it a lot with the doctor.

 

It happened 5 years ago and nothing else happened after. The thing is that I’m not diagnosed with a mental illness and I have no psychiatrist or medication anymore since years. We’ve actually realized that the main reason of all my issues in the past was actually the medication they were giving me, they considerably worsened my reaction to the very difficult situation I was going through.

 

So I know that it’s really not likely to reoccur and that I don’t have any issue anymore, the psychiatrist told me that I don’t need any follow up years ago. But what would be the best way for me to prove this to the doctor? What documents should I bring? 

 

 

 

 

 

An update to my original post. I had the medical in January and it went okay, the doctor was alarmed by my past history of self harm but he was reassured by the letters of my general practitioner and my past psychologist. I had the interview yesterday and my CR1 was approved with no issues!

[Ontarkie 14,324]

3 hours ago, Suzanne324 said:

An update to my original post. I had the medical in January and it went okay, the doctor was alarmed by my past history of self harm but he was reassured by the letters of my general practitioner and my past psychologist. I had the interview yesterday and my CR1 was approved with no issues!

Congratulations! 

The doctor's and psychologist's notes are what made the difference. 

[Suzanne324 6]

2 hours ago, Ontarkie said:

Congratulations! 

The doctor's and psychologist's notes are what made the difference. 

Thank you!!

 

I really think so. The doctor was clearly uneasy when we were talking about my past, but when I showed him the letters his demeanor changed and while reading them he said things like “very good” or “oh yes that’s great” several times.