Congratulations on getting those spots. That is fantastic! I am going to have to give you my biases up front before getting to your questions. I used to work at Duke (I was a tech in a research lab) before I went to medical school and truly disliked the environment there (which is why I did not stay there for…

I'm faculty at a medical school in the US. While I deal more on the fellowship end of things rather than with medical students, I would advise you to keep it as simple and straightforward as possible. Outline your reasons for wanting to do this particular elective at a particular program. Focus on your strengths…

In addition to the fine ideas laid out here, before going to a physician or doing too much psychoanalysis, make sure that there aren't some obvious causes such as new medications (SSRIs or beta-blockers for instance) or too much alcohol (or other substance) in the setting of a new relationship.