How To Tell Professors About Suicidal Ideation

[Faust]

Hello. I'll explain the context and then ask a few questions.

Currently I am going off of a medicine while going on another. On top of all this I am having some suicidal thoughts. I don't have a plan and I am trying my best to keep myself and others safe.

Part of keeping myself and others safe though is not driving (this includes driving to class) or doing my labs at the college I attend. The engineering program I am in uses some heavy equipment that is potentially dangerous and I didn't feel safe operating it in this condition. I thought that this was the responsible reaction. Was I right to do this?

I've already missed a great deal of classes. I missed nearly all of last week, between seeing my therapist and psychiatrist and not knowing what to do. I feel like I should send my professors an email or something telling them about what is going on but I don't know how to go about doing that. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience doing something like this?

 

[bring em all in]

I think notifying them is a good idea, so they don't think you just don't care. I don't think you have to go into great detail- "I'm having some serious health issues, but I will be back when I can" would probably be enough.

 

[dulcia]

Would you feel comfortable having your therapist or psych write a note? It doesn't have to go into detail. You could also talk to someone in your disabilities or accommodation department. Schools are becoming more aware of mental health and how debilitating it can be and, if there is an official diagnosis, should even have accommodations in place for mental health diagnoses. They may have some ideas about how to reach out to your prof.

 

[bring em all in]

Would you feel comfortable having your therapist or psych write a note? It doesn't have to go into d...

Great response tiredtexan!

 

[Deleted member 28942]

Hi, I am an instructor at a college and here are my thoughts:

1. You do not need to tell the instructor about your suicidal thoughts. It is better this way because otherwise things get weird. You can only mention that you are dealing with serious health issues. Based on your performance in class so far and the idiosyncrasy of the instructor they may or may not be understanding or they may require some form of proof.
2. If they require a form of proof and also I think that your issues might not be resolved that quickly you can go through the office of disability or office of accessibility. Every university should have an office like this. The people that work there are train to deal with sensitive issues and they can tell you what kind of information they need you to provide. For example, a note from a therapists. After that they can talk to you and maybe your therapists and decide what kind of accommodation you need. Based on that, they will send an email to all your instructors and lab TAs specifying the type of accommodation that you need but the reason is not disclosed at all. They must keep it confidential. I think this is the best way cause the office has to look in your best interest and they can help you with future issues that you might experience at school.

Personally, I think the second approach is better in the long run. I believe you will be going to therapy for a longer period of time and you will need accommodations throughout the semester. The office of disability/accessibility can handle things discreetly and safely and can give you the best way of handling this and getting the accommodation you need.

 

[anthony]

I feel like I should send my professors an email or something telling them about what is going on but I don't know how to go about doing that.

Talk with them... PTSD isn't new in the scheme of things, and if they don't understand, have a letter from your psychiatrist stating your disabilities due to mental health reasons and they must then help you accommodate things within reason so you can achieve your goals.

Talk to them about PTSD, not about your symptoms. Symptoms are not their business.

 

[joeylittle]

Personally, I think the second approach is better in the long run. I believe you will be going to therapy for a longer period of time and you will need accommodations throughout the semester. The office of disability/accessibility can handle things discreetly and safely and can give you the best way of handling this and getting the accommodation you need.

This.

It's important. Your professor is technically not allowed to make accommodations for you, directly - they can be empathetic, absolutely, but they can't change their grading protocols, etc, unless the institution endorses it. This is what the office of accommodations is for.

Usually, there's a point in that process where the instructor has been informed of whatever adjustments to the class that you need, and then you are allowed to give them more detail, if you like. It's fine to share where you are at, what your diagnosis is; but they don't need to know the detailed scope of it - because they don't have to make a decision about how to deal with it, the decision has been made at the accommodations level.

It's very important that you not skip that step.

 

[Deleted member 39333]

I agree with @UniversalBeing. I was a college professor for many years. If for some reason you do not wish to do through disability services (though this would be perfectly appropriate) the two universities where I taught offered the option of giving a note or having a phone call made to the Dean of Student's office. It is suggested that the note or phone call specify quite clearly what accomodations are necessary and appropriate for you. Then the dean's office sends a generic note to the professors saying that he or she has been advised that you need the following: a, b. c. Your professors want to support and help you, but as @UniversalBeing says, we don't want to know too much about your personal life because that gets awkward. Especially if you regret sharing it with us later.