Leaving university after 1 week due to illness help.?

This past week I left a private university after five days. Prior to entering the university, I had spent a summer will a severe mental illness and social phobia. I had gotten help for an eating disorder for five years prior to this as well. Having not having a support system this past summer, it got worse. My parents, ignoring the lashing out,crying, and talk of suicide this past summer, believing it solely to be based on nerves, sent me to college when September 1 arrived. After entering college, I was depressed and sucidal, thinking everyone was looking at me, I tried to make friends but when I looked someone in the eye I lost all of my words and broke out in a sweat. I spent 4 days in my room alone not wanting to live. So, two days ago, I left for home. Now, I have decided to attend the local community college, get help from therapists and focus on getting better and hopefully transfer to another school when I'm ready.Was this the right thing to do?

Leaving university after 1 week due to illness help.?
You have to do what you think is best. You are the one living this way not anyone else. Keep in mind that you have to face your fears in order to over come them. You can't run away every time it gets to be too much. Work on yourself one step at a time. Do your best and that's good enough! I'm glad to hear you have someone to talk to. You really need that. Please don't bottle things up. It will only make things worse.





Good job for trying to further yourself even though you have a problem. Remember, you are not the only person who lives this way. You are not an outcast or a freak. We all have different problems in life, the difference is the way we handle it. I wish you the best of luck, someone needs you to be around. You are here for a reason. :)
Reply:As long as you are seeking professional help, yes.
Reply:yes
Reply:This was a good move. You will be able to fell safe while going to therapy and sorting out some issues while being able to get an education.
Reply:So may people treat those of us with mental illness as an outcast or freak. Its the same as diabetes or a heart condition. We take our medication, see our therapist, and cope with our daily lives. I am really sorry your parents weren't able to recognize how ill you were when they sent you to school. Now, you should concentrate on getting better, and then worry about your schooling. As far as your friends. if they don't want to understand what you are going through with your illness, then find different friends. There really are compassionate people in the world!





Good luck and take care of you!


Dee
Reply:I think so. Even community college might be difficult to manage right now, you may want to consider starting part time or holding off a semester. Your mental health is most important and it is very hard (in my experience) to manage college when you are very unstable and symptomatic. I've been in and out of college at least half a dozen times because of it...if I learned anything from that it is: if you need to withdraw for the semester, do so as soon as possible and through the proper procedure. I didn't do this and have ended up with an F or 2 because of that and also screwed up my financial aid. It's ok now, but I really made a mess of it for a while and look back and see how much time I wasted and also how close I would come to finishing a class and then just wouldn't and would get no credit at all.





College is stressful any way you look at it, and highly stressful times are major triggers for the return or worsening of psych symptoms. I think it is great that you recognize what is going on and have decided to get some help to get back on your feet. And you will get back on your feet. Just don't give up, don't lose sight of what you want to do in life. The road is often longer for those of us with serious mental illness and sometimes takes us in all sorts of random directions, but you just have to keep getting back up when in knocks you down because eventually that determination will get you to where you want to be. And I don't mean this in a "pull yourself up by the bootstraps and get over it" kind of way...anybody who lives with mental illness knows it does not work that way...


I just know that I have been knocked down (and very unwell) so many times...;while it's happening it feels like it is aall I have ever known and will ever know...but that is the illness talking...and at some point, I find the will to brush myself off and get back up (sometimes this takes longer than others).





I honestly feel you did the right (and wise) thing. Otherwise, you most likely would have been overwhelmed and miserable and from the experience your feelings about school would shift, leaving a lasting bad taste in your mouth.





I wish you luck and peace. I know this is a hard place to be. Concentrate on getting well...school will still be there when you are ready. Don't beat yourself up for your decision to go home...sometimes what is right for us is not what we want...but somehow we know it is what we need to do.





As for what other people think...I understand what you are saying, that it does matter to you. And that is OK. You are sick right now, that is all people need to know. If you are not comfortable sharing the details, then don't. It is nobody elses business anyway.





One final thought...when you are in school, you can become classified as a student with a disability and the school, by law, has to provide reasonable accomodations if you should need them (such as testing in a private room, more time on assignments, etc).
Reply:Do you feel it was the right thing to do? Your opinion is the most important here. I understand what you're saying about caring about what other people think...I do too. Me, personally I think you made the right decision. Yes, there are a lot of nerves and anxiety associated with college, but it sounds like yours were well beyond what would be "normal" anxiety about college. You are making a good choice to go see therapists because you were depressed and suicidal. College is a very stressful environment...a lot of people (who are predisposed to mental illness through their genetics) develop mental illnesses in college because the stress brings them out. Right now it sounds like you need to be in a supportive, familiar environment. Go to community college and get your core classes done...that way when you transfer to another college, you'll be able to take classes more focused on your major. I know you're concerned about what people will think of you...if anyone asks, just tell them you had some personal stuff to sort out and needed to come home. You don't have to say anything else. Not everyone is ready to go off to college a few months after they graduate from high school. Just focus on taking care of yourself, working through your issues, and then think about if you're ready to transfer to another school. Take your time...it's okay. Hope this helps.
Reply:So far yes esp the fact that you are trying to do something about it.





There is nothing wrong with taking a break from things or even detour your career/education prospects temporarily.





If it's too embarrassing you don't have to tell anyone esp outside fam what's been really going on. You can say that you wanted to explore different options, or that you did not have enough fiancial backing to survive on campus, even you wanted to take a short break from really intense schooling or that high school (if you came direct from it) after awhile turned you off academics for awhile. There are many generic excuses you could find as many do experience variety of negative things that discourage them at the time to continue their life paths and know that others don't need to know why it really happened - unless it really really impacted others. It'll be hard at times but keep to your plan and you will come out of it ok and ready to transfer to the other school later on.

periwinkle