For applications asking how my personal experiences have shaped my interest in obtaining a PsyD, can I vaguely mention my mental health struggle and remission?

[Brianna Torres]

Hi everyone,

First time posting here! I'm applying to doctorate programs and some of my programs are asking how my personal life experiences have led me to pursue a PsyD. The main thing that sparked my passion for psychology was my mental health journey and path to remission. I feel that if I don't mention this, it would be disingenuous. Obviously, I wont be disclosing my diagnosis or what my specific experiences are but rather mentioning it in order to give some insight as to why I am where I am today. I will paste the part of my personal statement that mentions it below. Thanks for any feedback!

 "Throughout the last eight years of my life, whether it was during high school or undergrad, I worked harder than I thought was humanly possible in pursuit of one goal; obtain my Psy.D. and make my mark on the field of psychology. Despite a challenging battle with my mental health, I persevered and reached remission so that I could achieve my lifelong goal of changing the way mental healthcare is given and received. Today, neither my life nor my education are affected by my struggles. Throughout the years, I encountered many practitioners who treated mental health with a “one-size-fits-all” approach rather than employing empathy for my unique situation. As a result of these experiences, I vowed to treat my future patients with unmatched empathy, compassion, and most importantly, without judgment. I firmly believe that mental health is not a “one-size-fits-all” field, but rather requires uniquely tailored treatment plans, compassion, and unwavering patience in order to find the most effective treatment for your patients. I do not believe in entering this field because you want to “help people”, I believe you enter this field to change lives and treat your patients as you would want to be treated, regardless of how challenging the case is".