Forums » Smalltalk » AMA: Studying Psychology with Mental Illness

This past May, I graduated with my Bachelor's of Science in Psychology. I'm extremely passionate about the subject, and my goal is to eventually help people. Throughout my nearly five years in college, though, I was diagnosed with quite a few different things that I feel gave me a unique perspective while I was learning about some of these same conditions I may see in my career. I have ADHD, Autism, Bipolar II, and Social Anxiety Disorder— all of which made college hard at times. However, I hope my experiences with mental health care can make me a better provider one day.

In your opinion, what was the most interesting mental illness to learn about?

You mentioned that you've obtained a unique perspective on the conditions you discovered about yourself. Can you explain what that means to you?

That's a really hard question! I can't say I had a favorite or a single one that I found the most interesting. I found depression really fascinating to learn about because it can affect people in so many different ways, and there are so many ways to go about treating it. It helped me understand myself a bit better, too, haha.

For me personally, I think learning about the conditions I have helped make me more empathetic. Not only do I understand myself a little bit better, but I also understand other people who have the same conditions as me a bit better too. Certain conditions hold stigmas, and because I have a couple that do-- I'm less likely to judge before getting to know someone. While mental health is very subjective, and everyone is going to experience things differently, I find it easier to put myself in other people's shoes.

As you think about going into practice, is there a type of condition or community you are interested in working with most?

I'm thinking about going into psychology one day. I wanna ask, is it fulfilling?

I would really like to work with adolescents with autism. I didn't find out I had the condition until I was an adult, but I remember how it made being a teenager feel even harder sometimes! I would love to be the kind of provider that I could have benefitted from at that age.

I find psychology incredibly fulfilling, but it's a heavy field at the same time. Most of my hands on work has been with children with autism so far, and I absolutely loved the work I did. It's just really important to make sure you're taking care of yourself, or it can be really easy to fall into burnout.

As someone who also didn't get a diagnosis until later, this sounds like an area where you could make a HUGE impact!

I was diagnosed with PTSD, ADHD, Depression, and sometimes other things that were removed, but those are the ones that remain the same. What signs would you look for in someone who might have Bipolar? I never knew there were different stages(? You mentioned bipolar II), and I've been hoping to get tested for it.

If you think you might have it or are looking to be evaluated for it, my best recommendation is to do research on the disorder. It can look different for different people, and not everyone is going to have the same signs or symptoms. The International Bipolar Foundation is a great resource, and it has a ton of information on what it's like to live with the disorder.

However, I'm still gonna answer your question.

Bipolar I and II are the two types, and they are defined by mania and hypomania respectively. One is typically more severe, while the other tends to be less so. Mania/hypomania is sort of the key characteristic of Bipolar disorder, and I think knowing the signs of mania is ultimately what helped me get diagnosed early rather than later.