Could BPD stop me becoming a MH nurse?
 

Hi,
I've struggled with my MH for years but in the last few months have been diagnosed with BPD.
I have a conditional offer from a university to study to be a MH nurse and I will easily get the grades I need. The problem is another condition of the offer is to undergo a full health assessment to see whether I am fit to practice. So now I'm worried, does anyone know if my BPD could stop me from being able to study?
Thanks

Hmmm.. I arent sure. I too want to become a MH nurse so i know how frustrating it can be... As far as am aware you need to either be recovered for 2 years or have your BPD under control. But i dont know for sure. I arent sure whether your in the UK or not but that's what it is like here. I know when i apply for uni i had to tell them bits and was going to go thro occ health but i didn't get in this year though thats not due to mh problems.

Good luck

A lot of professions require a health assessment to see if you are fit to practice. If its the kind of assessment I had to do to work as a child and youth care worker, I was able to get it done at a walk-in clinic. They focused mostly on physical stuff, asked a few questions about depression (I lied about it and said I was fine), and that was it.

So if it is that, then I suggest doing it at a clinic if you can, or with your GP if you think they'd be willing to overlook the mental health stuff. Like now I have a regular GP and we have a good relationship, she'd sign off on anything for me.

Also as far as I know, you don't have to share a diagnosis with anyone. Its private information and you do not need to disclose it.

Thanks a lot. I am in the UK and have only being diagnosed in the last few months and wouldn't count myself as awfully stable. Inblack thank you for your comment but I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with lying about it. As my tutors will be qualified MH nurses, I would also be worried they might spot it in me. I'm just worried because I don't want BPD to hold me back.

It shouldn't, i don't think. I wouldn't lie to uni, like you have said if they were to find out they could kick you off the course.

I guess , it depends what occupational health say as i haven't been through it yet i don't know what they would ask.

Def do not lie to Uni as if they feel the need they may contact your GP for further information about your conditions, request notes etc. If your under a mental health team then the GP will be required to tell them this and they will prob contact them.

I'm sorry, but no. That is wrong. When it comes to things like training to be a nurse or a teacher and working with vulnerable adults and children, you do need to disclose it. If you don't, and they find out, you can be sacked or removed from the course. They have these rules in place for a reason. I've seen the occupational health forms for working on mental health wards and they ask for a lot of detail about previous hospitalisations, diagnoses and medications currently taken.

OP, your best bet is to be completely honest. If you are not stable at the moment, then your training might make you feel worse especially when it comes to going on the actual wards. It is much better to take a few years out now to recover and go back to your training when you are better and can completely focus on it than push through now and get more unwell if they decide that you are not stable enough.

Thank you guys, I really appreciate your replies and all your advice.
I definately won't lie. I may talk to my GP about it and see if she thinks that it would hold me back. I just don't want to have to put my life on hold anymore, I want to get on with my training and live like a normal person. Is that too much to ask? :|

Heya, i managed to get onto children's nursing course with severe depression and self harm :) i did have to be interviewed by an occ health nurse and doctor, but they let me on :) They will just want to make sure you'll be able to deal with a very stressful course. I thought I could deal and so did they but in the end i couldn't, and it ended badly. My advice is just be really honest with yourself and make sure you will be able to take it :)

I think you should go for it, but be honest, I was told that it doesn't matter if you have mh problems, as long as its not going to effect your ability to look after vulnerable people. I was thinking of going into social work and I am still in touch with my key nurse via email from when i was in hospital under a section last year, this is part of what she said in an email to me when i told her that I was worried i wouldn't be able to do social work due to my mh

'Your past history in relation to your mental state has absolutely no effect on uni. Believe me there are lots of professors and lecturers that have mental health issues and are undergoing treatment. Even nurses that i know of in (the hospital I was in), believe me. That will be discrimination. In every 4 people there is at least 1 with mental health issues and people are more openminded about it now'

I'm not sure if that is relevant but yeah, wanted to share. I was told that I could still be in services and study social work, but that I would have to get my psychs permission first, if that makes sense, like ask if they thought I was well enough to study it.

There is no harm though in putting it off for another year or two until you have recovered. you could spend your time doing lots of voluntary work helping vulnerable people, it would give you lots of experience too.
Sorry

Thank you so much musicmad123 and PilotVeteran your comments have given me optimism. I am going to try as long as my workers think I will be able to. Though I'm going to try not to hope too much just in case OH say no. Thanks guys, hopefully I will still be able to live my dreams even though I have BPD.

i thought that the disability discrimination act stipulated that you didn't need to disclose such information. however, if you then go on to have problems the employer would not be obliged to make special considerations for you?

They may ask you to defer your place if you can't prove that you have it under control (I had to do this).

Try to give them all the info and if they think you need more time, take it and make sure you're doing okay with it. There's no point starting a course you won't be able to handle for the sake of a year out.

Good luck.

Thanks MeaCulpa, that would be good. I wouldn't mind deferring for a year, I just really don't want to be rejected from the course all together. Thank you so much everyone for your replies.

Hi, so I'm jumping in on this but my experience with working in healthcare with mental health problems (I'm a medical student) is that it is possible but can be complicated.

Star runner: they can't discriminate against you but that assumes you are fit to do the job and mental health problems in a healthcare profession can make you unfit in terms of being a danger to yourself or patients.

I agree with what other people have said. Be honest and open with occ health, lying will not do you any favours at all. I would also say however that it might be worth talking to people in charge of the courses you want to apply to and asking them what they think.

The main consideration is whether you will be able to cope with the training and the work and be good for your patients. BPD in itself is not a barrier to that, you (and professionals) will need to decide whether you - in terms of yourself and your MH problems - will be able to do it.

I was only a few months recovered from a depressive episode when I applied to do MH nursing. Occupational health didn't want to let me in, but after they requested a report from my doctor and he thought I was stable enough, they let me in. I'm now 2nd year of my three years!

They prefer you to disclose your diagnosis so the uni can provide as much support as you need. My uni have been wonderful.

A girl in my class was bipolar, but she found the course stressful and relapsed. However she is now recovering and has been accepted into the course again!

I hope you apply! Good luck!

PS. I'm in the UK.

No, you legally have to tell them if you do have any Health problems, IF THEY ASK YOU DIRECTLY AT ANY STAGE OF ANY APPLICATION

But also they need to know so that they can help you and if they have rejected you simply for your health issues THEY ARE BREAKING THE LAW (Unless they have reasonable ground to do so)

This link might help UK citizens

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Disabled...hts/DG_4001068

Thank you so much guys, I feel so supported and am definately going to give it my best shot.

I've got a place for children's nursing and i was worried about my health check which is coming up but my doctors are really happy and think i should pass.
It might be an idea to have a letter from the doctor of care you are under to show them.
If you wanna talk i'm here but let us know how it goes!
xxxx