Hi guys.
Not quite sure how to put this.
I'm a final year student studying a fairly demanding course, related to medicine. (I don't want to disclose details as I don't want to be found out)
I have always wanted to graduate with this degree, it has been a passion of mine, but over the past two years I have become depressed due to my high level of anxiety which has gotten worse over the years. It has left me more and more depressed. Part of the reason for the down hill spiral was the work and exams, and part of it was to do with a very close member of the family passing away last year. I still sat the exam and passed but at the extent of damaging my mental health I feel. I didn't take a gap year after my 3rd year exam as I thought I would get over it, but now in my final year at uni (4th year) I feel all the emotions coming back to haunt me. My finals are soon and the feelings of loss are resurfacing. I wake up feeling depressed.
I have been given meds by the doctor to help control my mood but I do not feel this is helping my studies and am afraid of up coming exams. I do not want to fail or give up which was partly why I soldiered on these past years but I really feel my mental health is taking a turn for the worse.
Would it be wise to take a year leave from uni? And start the summer 2017? (so I would be rejoining the year two years below me) I have considered the negatives to doing such a thing - from forgetting coursework from taking a break, to losing the drive to study when I start up again, to something as simple as meeting new class mates made difficult by my anxiety.
Will it be wise to take a year out and start again? Part of me wants to sit finals and pass. Part of me wants to give up from constantly feeling depressed, and giving a year out a shot to see if it'll do me any good.
Thanks for reading