Are diagnosed mental health disorders justifiable reasons to apply as a special/access applicant?

[Crisp505]

Was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder when i was 12-13 years old and prescribed with medication at 18 and Illness anxiety disorder at 20 (which required a year and a half of therapy)

[CleanHands]

I want to preface this by saying that I haven't been involved with law school admissions.

But from what I've gathered from reading about the subject and chatting with relevant people, as well as from logically reasoning it through, there is a difference between the following kinds of candidates:

Candidate A:

-Started uni with mental health issues but without a diagnosis and treatment, received terrible grades, sought and received a diagnosis and treatment, then received good (competitive for law school) grades after receiving medication/therapy/etc.

Candidate B:

-Went to uni already having a diagnosis and treatment course in place and and consistently performed below what would meet the normal entry standards for law schools.

For the sake of simplicity, let's say both candidates had the same kind of mental health issues. The difference between these people is that Candidate A both:

1) Can point to the mental health issues to explain his initial bad grades.

2) Received good grades that he can legitimately point to as demonstrating intellectual and academic aptitude.

Whereas candidate B's mental health issues don't seem like as much of a relevant consideration and they have nothing to point to in their history that illustrates that they have the ability to perform well in law school. In any given year, 1 in 5 Canadians experiences a mental illness. Mental illness in and of itself isn't an exceptional circumstance.

Ultimately if you are unsure whether to apply access, just do it and let the schools decide. It might be a turn off to them if you submit what they consider to be an illegitimate access claim, but ultimately they will just move you into the general category. Also, keep in mind that even if you are considered an access candidate, this doesn't make your undergraduate performance irrelevant. The key takeaway I want to convey is that these things are highly contextual and an access claim is not just a way around admission standards if you are not a competitive candidate (I don't know that about you, I'm making a general statement).

[Taiko]

Suffering from a mental health related disability is as justifiable a reason as any to apply as an access applicant. However, your condition must rise to the level of disability, which from the sounds of it yours does.  Of course, you will need to provide adequate medical documentation verifying your diagnosis. You would also have to demonstrate in your application that with the proper supports in place you have the capacity to succeed in law school.

[KaitlinRandall]

Mental health disorders are valid reasons for special/access consideration. I dealt with anxiety myself and sought support. I remember when I first found out I had pica symptoms, I was frustrated. It's essential to acknowledge the impact on your life and reach out for support. Don't hesitate to highlight your experiences; they're a part of your journey. You're not alone, and seeking accommodations is a positive step. You've got this!

Edited February 14 by KaitlinRandall

[WiseGhost]

This might be a bit of a crass way of expressing things, but I would note this: there is a significant difference between between mental health positive spaces and the "real world." 

I personally suffer from anxiety, but I have learned not to highlight this because while it is a part of my journey as a person, people can and will judge you for it. I am willing to bet that while law school admissions officers are far more understanding than hiring committees about mental health issues, they will still consider a disclosed mental health disorder to be a negative if there is no evidence of either management or improvement. Some conditions are also stigmatized more than others. For example, I know someone who wrote about having bipolar disorder in their PS and they underperformed despite having strong stats. 

However @KaitlinRandall I entirely agree with your sentiment. I just think that people have to be cautious about what they do and don't disclose.