Would an anxiety disorder prevent me from being accepted into a volunteer abroad program?

[lightningandsnow]

So, I have a (mild-ish) anxiety disorder. I might want to go on a volunteer trip abroad sometime this summer, or next year, but all the programs I've looked into require a full exam and certification that the participant is in "good physical and mental health".

Would my anxiety disorder prevent me from doing this? Like, would they let me do it?

[pitohui]

1. it might depend on what they knew and how they knew it

i don't know if you require Rx meds for your anxiety disorder, but in my case i was dx'd as a high functioning autistic (obviously not the same condition but it's possible there's a relationship) -- in those days there was no medicine or treatment for this and i simply left the dx behind by the simple consequence of moving on to a different school and a different set of docs who didn't know about the previous dx -- when i needed to get a check-up to go on a couple of long summer trips in my high school years, i simply went to docs who had no idea and no way to find out that i had any such "disorder" and everything was cool

yes, the group knew that i was not a talkative person but there's room for that, everybody doesn't have to be outgoing and extroverted or it gets too wearing on a group trip anyway

this was in the 70s tho, not sure how easy it would be for a new doc to find out about your anxiety disorder today

it helped that my parents were supportive, if by supportive you mean that they were in absolute denial that i was in any way different from any other kid at all -- there was simply no one to "rat" me out as "different" rather than just quiet


if you have to take meds to control your condition, it seems you're screwed, they're gonna find out

[Midlodemocrat]

2. Depends. Do you have generalized anxiety disorder or

flat out panic attacks? Are you medicated? What medication do you take?

They might not want to take someone who is currently taking a prescriptive drug that is potentially addictive.

[lightningandsnow]

6. Anxiety disorder not otherwise specified.

It's quite close to GAD, but I don't quite fit the criteria for that as my disorder is a little more intermittent rather than constant. I'm not on medication...unless a daily B-complex supplement and the occasional valerian root capsule count.

[XemaSab]

3. You'll have to look at that for yourself

If there's any chance you could have a full-on psychotic break, and have to be physically restrained by your Chinese dorm-mates (who are leery of calling the authorities) for three days while your parents fly in from the states to take you home, don't do it.

This happened to someone I know, and yes, it was foreseeable. She just did not have the capacity for frank self-assessment of her own mental health, and it did her no favors. :(

[Midlodemocrat]

4. Jeebus. I would not describe that as mild anxiety disorder.

That poor kid. :scared:

[pitohui]

5. whoa for real!? that's awful

however i don't think psychosis is particularly related to anxiety disorder, is it? i'm asking not telling here, i think maybe i don't know v. much about psychosis, off the top everyone i can think of who has had a psychotic break in my presence was a schizophrenic

it is unfortunate that people seem to first develop schizophrenia in their late teens into their twenties, so there is always the chance of this happening at that age, i guess, but i don't think it can be THAT common, do you?

when i was in grad school and the guy in the next office came down w. full blown schizophrenia (which was later able to be controlled w. medication) i have to say that we had some warning signs but they were more than anxiety, they were full-on delusional stuff like a conviction that people were conspiring aga. him and so on, pretty classic stuff -- considering how many whacky nuts are in the "hard" sciences tho, who wanted to be the first to call the guy crazy?