Would the theme of my personal statement(sometime in the future) be inappropriate?

I was thinking about writing about how I went though depression when I was a teenager and how overcoming it made me question my beliefs and have a better and clearer understanding of society, life, family, and education. this was the most significant part of my life...and I thought this would be something I could write on.

However, I have heard that one should not write about psychological problems one may have had, such as depression, suicidal thoughts, or any such things, as this would give the impression that the person is psychologically imbalanced, hence, not someone a university would want on their campus. Go figure.

But, what do you think?

p.s. I hope this message has not violated any "rules" of this website. If it has, i am sincerely sorry.

i would think that over coming a hardship would be an admirable quality- but it has to serve a purpose. How did overcoming this hardship make you a stronger student? If its for your statement of purpose, I would not make it a narrative of my depression, but rather how I came out of it.

I completely agree with the post above. Don't just talk about your depression, but talk about how it has shaped who you are today. Since the topic of depression doesn't seem to original, no offense, make your essay about it stand out! There are certainly ways to make an average topic into and amazing essay! Good luck! :)

This is a great question, and you did not violate any rules. Thanks for being here. The answer comes from an examination of the purpose you are trying to achieve. You want the reader to be able to justify selecting you. You want the reader to feel good about choosing you rather than some other applicant. It is a bit of a competition! But of course, that is okay...

The goal is to make the reader aware of your plan, and demonstrate the clarity of your thinking through the clarity of your explanation of your plan, with its short term goals. And discuss what you have been reading. Now, how does this relate to your experience of depression? It's tough... you cannot explain depression in words. It needs a poem. And even then, the reader will not understand it the way you do.

You have to use it to express the truth that will make the reader feel like you are trying to make a great splash in this world, and that you have a plan.

:-)