Should I mention "depression" in my statement?

Question: I have suffered from depression since childhood and that has played a big role in how I take tests. I have a ton of test anxiety and don't feel that some of my grades best represent my knowledge of the subjects. Is this something you would bring up in the statement?


Answer: This is a difficult question for me to answer. Is your depression/anxiety controlled at this time? Are you taking medications for it? I would only bring this up if you feel like your test scores were diminished by your condition. However, a committee would probably want to know if this was a problem that has been addressed and/or resolved.

Although no one will tell you this, committee members do consider the personality type of the applicant and the various issues one might present as a student. If someone believes your test taking issues will be problematic during your time in pharmacy school, it could work against you. This would be a case by case basis dependent on the specific reviewer - certainly no institution would have a policy on this. I have heard many times a committee member reference a past student who had an issue with something that gave him/her reservations about having a similar student. I have seen this with language issues and "arrogance" as perceived by the reviewer. Some professors would rather not have to deal with the hassle they think they might encounter.

I guess I would mention it only if you thought you had the problem resolved. Perhaps you can qualify any poor performances as being related to your depression, but indicate that you are working on it with medication or psychologic intervention.

Of course, please understand the above are my thoughts only... certainly others might give you significantly different advice.