Assessment of Disclosure of Psychological Disability Among US Medical Students
Lisa M. Meeks, Melissa Plegue, Ben Case, Bonnielin K. Swenor, Srijan Sen
Abstract
Multiple factors may be driving the lower percentage of students disclosing psychological disabilities, including: (1) lack of engagement between MD students and mental health services, reducing opportunities for referral; (2) lack of stakeholder awareness that mental health diagnosis may be eligible for accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act 4 ; (3) lack of accommodation of psychological disability in favor of placing students on a leave of absence; (4) stigma surrounding psychological disabilities 4,5 ; (5) timing of diagnosis (ie, before or during medical school); (6) access to and cost of an evaluation; and (7) concerns regarding mandatory disclosure requirements on state board licensing. mitations of this study include the exclusion of osteopathic schools in the reporting of disability, which affects the generalizability of our results to all medical students. Additionally, our survey only captured students who required accommodation. Not all students who screen positive for or are diagnosed with a psychological disability required accommodation.