Is my mental health history grounds for a k1 visa denial?

[yellowtowo9 3]

Due to a self harm scar from when i was age 12 (10 years ago) the medical examiners requested a short email directly from my gp stating my current mental health. after contacting my GP, my GP (UK) is refusing to provide an email to the medical examiner about whether or not I have mental health issues both past or ongoing. is there an alternative way for the visa medical examiners to confirm my mental health is okay for the visa?

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

Do you have a psychologist or psychiatrist that can write this letter- someone that has followed your mental health history?

[yellowtowo9 3]

6 minutes ago, Luckycuds said:

Do you have a psychologist or psychiatrist that can write this letter- someone that has followed your mental health history?

I don't have any history of mental health diagnosis or ongoing treatment. I went to a doctor once when I felt anxious about moving and starting college at 18, and I was prescribed an antidepressant that I never took.  On a separate occasion, I was told I have ADHD after one consult visit, which I understood was a learning disability, not a mental health disorder.  I am not on any medications and have not been for numerous years.  

[Adventine 3,201]

Can you ask your GP to refer you to a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist? Sounds like your GP is hesitant to send the email directly because they don't specialize in mental health issues.

[yellowtowo9 3]

Does anyone know if my mental health history is grounds for a denial?

I originally didnt include any of this information on my medical examination questionaire as i didnt believe it was needed. I have never considered add to be a mental issue, but rather a learning dissability as stated on the nhs website. I have since emailed the Visa medical people and updated them with the following information.

 

at age 11 I visited a doctor with my parent and they said I was having behavioral issues due to my parents separation. though i was never diagnosed with anything, my medical records have this coded as 'behavioural issues, mild ocd'.

 

at age 12 I self harmed once as I saw my friends at school doing the same. I have faint scars on my arms that are barely visible. I never recieved any medical attention for this.

 

at age 18, I went to the doctor due to feeling uneasy/anxious. no diagnosis was made as this was just a one time, 15 minute dr appointment. the doctor has this coded on my records as 'anxiety'. i was given an ssri medication that i never took.

 

at age 19, i had a private diagnosis of ADD. I took medication for this for several months then stopped as I didn't feel it necessary.

 

I have no ongoing treatment or medications i take. I have no other diagnosis.

[Ban Hammer 13,398]

related topics merged.

do not start multiple threads on the same topic.

[Lemonslice 4,885]

On 3/1/2021 at 5:33 PM, yellowtowo9 said:

Due to a self harm scar from when i was age 12 (10 years ago) the medical examiners requested a short email directly from my gp stating my current mental health. after contacting my GP, my GP (UK) is refusing to provide an email to the medical examiner about whether or not I have mental health issues both past or ongoing. is there an alternative way for the visa medical examiners to confirm my mental health is okay for the visa?

Could you see another doctor?  Otherwise, if your doctor is refusing to write a letter, then you might want to request a copy of your medical record and forward it in lieu of the letter.  Your medical record should show what you were/were not diagnosed.

[Villanelle 4,122]

Why is your Dr refusing to give you this? The reason is relevant when deciding what is the best action to take next. If you do not know why- ask. They still may not give you a direct answer but #1- ask. Ask why not. Ask what they would be able to give you if not that. A statement saying they are your current Dr and a list of what they are treating you for? A letter saying they are presently your Dr but werent at that time so they dont know anything about your history besides what you told them? See what kind of statement you can negotiate them to write...  

 

Based on what you have posted though - its unlikely the statement from the Dr is going to be enough for the medical examiners satisfaction- and thats OK. That doesnt mean its all over! Heres where you are at- the medical examiner does (or did) your general exam and has a question. They directed you to get a statement from your GP for them to consider and are waiting for you to do so to prepare their final report (what is sent to immigration- which basically is either a yes or no that you are medically clear or not). Sometimes when theres an issue like this the medical examiner can make their decision based on their exam and your letter from the Dr. As said, if you are able to get a letter its probably not going to be written well enough to satisfy the medical examiner. In which case they will refer you to a psych dr. You pay for this yourself and its in addition to any money you already paid. I believe most people report about 200-300 for this psych exam. The psych exam is very casual. Typically 30-45 mins of sitting and talking in a therapy type set up. The psych Dr will review your history and ask you general questions. They are trying to determine if you are a risk to yourself or others. If you explain things as you have here you should be fine. If you are still nervous you can google the topic in general (assessment for self harm risk) and see the types of questions you may be asked. 

 

So again I would attempt to get something from your current Dr- even if its just a letter that says they are your current Dr and have no info to provide because the medical examiner is waiting on such. Alternatively you can provide your records and a letter you write yourself explaining the Dr advised you they will not write a statement as described and provide the reason they give you for such- could be office policy, not being your Dr when it happened, etc. It does come across as odd as a 3rd party in all this that the Dr wont give you a statement, could appear that you are attempting to hide something and perhaps didnt even ask your Dr- hence why you should try to get something from your Dr even if its just a I wont give a statement type letter so you can move forward with the process and have the medical examiner set you a psych referral. 

 

I can provide you with more detailed info on the specifics of the medical exam and a flow chart of sorts on how you would navigate an 'approved' medical but honestly I dont think you should concern yourself with the trivial internal details. Anxiety, ADD, etc are not reasons you would be denied medically and you should be able to establish to the psych drs satisfaction that you are not a risk to yourself or others by both answering questions through an exam with them and showing them your past records.

 

Please post back any updates or additional questions or concerns you still have. Sending you lots of positive energy! 

[yellowtowo9 3]

52 minutes ago, Villanelle said:

Why is your Dr refusing to give you this? The reason is relevant when deciding what is the best action to take next. If you do not know why- ask. They still may not give you a direct answer but #1- ask. Ask why not. Ask what they would be able to give you if not that. A statement saying they are your current Dr and a list of what they are treating you for? A letter saying they are presently your Dr but werent at that time so they dont know anything about your history besides what you told them? See what kind of statement you can negotiate them to write...  

my gp told me i am wasting nhs resources by requesting a letter/ medical summary. 

52 minutes ago, Villanelle said:

 

Based on what you have posted though - its unlikely the statement from the Dr is going to be enough for the medical examiners satisfaction- and thats OK. That doesnt mean its all over! Heres where you are at- the medical examiner does (or did) your general exam and has a question. They directed you to get a statement from your GP for them to consider and are waiting for you to do so to prepare their final report (what is sent to immigration- which basically is either a yes or no that you are medically clear or not). Sometimes when theres an issue like this the medical examiner can make their decision based on their exam and your letter from the Dr. As said, if you are able to get a letter its probably not going to be written well enough to satisfy the medical examiner. In which case they will refer you to a psych dr. You pay for this yourself and its in addition to any money you already paid. I believe most people report about 200-300 for this psych exam. The psych exam is very casual. Typically 30-45 mins of sitting and talking in a therapy type set up. The psych Dr will review your history and ask you general questions. They are trying to determine if you are a risk to yourself or others. If you explain things as you have here you should be fine. If you are still nervous you can google the topic in general (assessment for self harm risk) and see the types of questions you may be asked. 

i did request a psych exam from the doctor, as a letter from my GP would not be possible. she said theyd think she was crazy for sending me for a psych eval, and so that wouldnt be needed at this stage. 

52 minutes ago, Villanelle said:

 

So again I would attempt to get something from your current Dr- even if its just a letter that says they are your current Dr and have no info to provide because the medical examiner is waiting on such. Alternatively you can provide your records and a letter you write yourself explaining the Dr advised you they will not write a statement as described and provide the reason they give you for such- could be office policy, not being your Dr when it happened, etc. It does come across as odd as a 3rd party in all this that the Dr wont give you a statement, could appear that you are attempting to hide something and perhaps didnt even ask your Dr- hence why you should try to get something from your Dr even if its just a I wont give a statement type letter so you can move forward with the process and have the medical examiner set you a psych referral. 

i have explained the whole situation to the medical examiner, and she is now on the case herself and is contacting my gp directly as when i last spoke to my gp surgery i was shouted at on the phone and told basically im not getting anything. my medical examiner is very nice and understanding so she is getting my medical records herself from my gp. 

52 minutes ago, Villanelle said:

 

I can provide you with more detailed info on the specifics of the medical exam and a flow chart of sorts on how you would navigate an 'approved' medical but honestly I dont think you should concern yourself with the trivial internal details. Anxiety, ADD, etc are not reasons you would be denied medically and you should be able to establish to the psych drs satisfaction that you are not a risk to yourself or others by both answering questions through an exam with them and showing them your past records.

 

Please post back any updates or additional questions or concerns you still have. Sending you lots of positive energy! 

do you have the flow chart to post? i would like to see if i would pass the exam if it was to come to that. thanks for your response to my question

[Villanelle 4,122]

https://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/exams/ti/civil/mental-civil-technical-instructions.html