Can someone who has a history of severe mental illness become a psychologist/psy!
Question: Can someone who has a history of severe mental illness become a psychologist/psychiatrist ?
Answers:
Absolutely!
There used to be a time where this wasn't allowed, but it is allowed now.
And rightly so, I believe! Who better to help someone, than someone who's been through it!
Yes, I believe it is possible if the symptoms are controlled effectively and the person has proved him/herself worthy of a place on a training programme.
I feel that people with mental illnesses make the best therapists, since they know what is happening to the people they are treating, and are far more able to empathise with their patients than those who have never been through the experience.
If they were fit to work in such professions and were never a risk to others in the past, then yes, they can. Such careers require occupational health checks and enhanced CRB's (which can include details of MHA police detentions and sectioning), so of course it would be a hurdle, but not impossible.
If you prove yourself to be fit, then your past can actually be a plus, as prior service use is such great experience when it comes to dealing with others. If this is your aspiration, I wish you the best of luck!
Unlikely, as there would be a conflict and the possibility of confusion and it could make the existing condition worse.
For sure. I think it would benefit the patient a lot more because they are actually talking to a person who has been through that same thing and knows what its like