How to help my daughter: needs timeout from uni?
My daughter is about to come home after a very tough year at university. She's recently been diagnosed with complex PTSD, ADHD, and depression, and hasn't had much help from staff—some have made things worse with their comments/behaviour. She's considering a study break or withdrawal. Has anyone been through this, taken a break, or had better university support? What worked best, and how should we approach the university about this? Any advice from parents or students really appreciated! 😊
Reply 1
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I'm currently a student at uni as well, and let me say, if I were your daughter, I would be so grateful that my parents would want me to take a break if I'm feeling very mentally unwell. I went through a period last year where I was extremely depressed, and I wished that I could take a break from uni, as I felt it was slowly killing me, but I never had the courage to speak out. Luckily, I am better now. I have great friends, and I am grateful that I do. However, I think I would be 100 times happier if I took a break from uni, went home for a bit, even just for a couple of months, as it would have given me time to breathe and sort out my problems until I'm ready to return.
You asked about university support, and I'm also lucky in that my uni is very good with student support and mental health services, and I obviously don't know the processes of her specific university support systems, but If your daughter really needs a break, sometimes you just have to do what you think is best for her now, and deal with the university details later. If she's planning on coming back to university, then many universities provide online study options for those on study breaks. I also know that if you are going on a break for mental health reasons, a lot of universities will ask for doctor/therapist letters saying that this is necessary, as some won't take your word for it.
I hope this helps 🙂
You asked about university support, and I'm also lucky in that my uni is very good with student support and mental health services, and I obviously don't know the processes of her specific university support systems, but If your daughter really needs a break, sometimes you just have to do what you think is best for her now, and deal with the university details later. If she's planning on coming back to university, then many universities provide online study options for those on study breaks. I also know that if you are going on a break for mental health reasons, a lot of universities will ask for doctor/therapist letters saying that this is necessary, as some won't take your word for it.
I hope this helps 🙂
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