considering dropping out of sixth form

im having a lot of trouble with my mental health at the moment , i havent been in college at all this week because i physically havent been able to get out of bed and i feel terrible about it for all sorts of reasons . however , i know these problems will never go away whether i stay in sixth form or not , but im still considering dropping out because theres also the possibility of going down the career path i want without those a levels ( although i know theyd still be good to have , especially since i want to get into acting which is highly competitive ) . ive considered a temporary withdrawal for medical reasons but the problem with that is assignments will stack up and im scared when my leave is over itll all be too much to deal with again . if i drop out ill never have those grades either , but ive never planned to do anything with them anyway since im looking to go to an acting school rather than uni or anything else . my moods come in waves from very high highs to really low lows , so the times when i feel a bit better part of me is determined to encourage myself to keep going which makes me rethink dropping out , but then i remember all the pressure of assignments and deadlines and tell myself i cant do it . i just really dont know what option to take or what to do - any advice ?

I'd advise to stay in school because it is handy having those backup a levels JUST in case. Like you never know what will happen. Do you take 3? If you take 4+ you should probably drop one. Do remember though there are things like apprenticeships as backups too, if you have solid gcse grades you should be fine if you decide to leave.

Is there an option to have a gap year in sixth form (like take this year out and restart Yr12/Yr13 next year)? May not sound ideal but that way you get a break to focus on your mental health (and maybe build up some acting experience) and then by the summer you can evaluate is acting 100% for me, do I think I'll be able to cope with a levels/should I return or should I go straight to acting school.

if i dropped out and acting didnt work out my next option wouldve been an apprenticeship anyway , i have quite high gcse grades so those are alright , but like you said you never really know what could happen and thats why ive been unsure about dropping out or not when it could turn out that i really needed them .

i dont know if id be able to take a gap year , would it be best to ask somebody about it ? i know i could take medical leave but id still be enrolled into the college meaning all my work will just build up which just as a thought is overwhelming