Why Do Colleges Seem To Totally Ignore Mental Health Issues?

[Cool Cat]

Seriously. My college are terrible for it!
We were doing a module that involved watching films and they never warned us the content. I put in a request to be told in advance and made it known that I was regularily SHing (at the time) and was finding the themes very triggering.
They made me tell them about my trauma and SH over the phone
And they didn't get back to me for a forthnight!
When they did they de-facto said, well this is part of the deal, we can't change the class to suit one student.

If I was in a wheelchair and couldn't make class because there was a flight of stairs, they would be on it straight away. They would move the classroom to one on a ground floor. They wouldn't say "Why should be have to change our class just to suit you?"

They also do things like putting all deadlines on the same week or leaving you in suspense for a week to say whether you were granted an extension or not (ie. will we fail you or not)

Is this the same everywhere? How do you manage? I don't think trauma should equal no opportunity to education.

 

[rightkindofme]

Have you gone through disability services? Often they are the only people on campus who are even aware that PTSD is a protected disability and you need their intervention to get things handled. I'd *flat refuse* to talk about it over the phone. Not appropriate for them to ask.

If disability services doesn't act like your disability is worthy of consideration I would say, "So this is time for me to seek out a lawyer? I have the right to be notified. I wasn't saying change the class for me. I was saying I need to be supported appropriately so I can get my education. That is your legal responsibility."

I'm sorry.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

I'm confused about a few things.

1) Are you talking about your college or your teachers? You sound like you are talking about both in your post. Deadlines should be done with your teachers unless they don't cooperate with you. That might be why it's taking so long. They are emailing your teachers for you. Also, don't wait until the last minute.

2) Frankly, I'm confused about your triggering stuff about the films. Step out of the room if it bothers you for short periods (I've had to do that) and regain your breath but it's still the real world and doesn't it also involve homework/classwork?

They made (no one can) you tell about your self harm over the phone becasue you gave them that information to begin with. You should have met them in person and probably kept that to yourself. Normally my therapist writes letters on my behalf, is that something your therapist can do for you? And when he writes them he doesn't give my life story.

Why are you expecting them to change for you? Accommodations should be reasonable for both parties and I don't think you are. Actually I'm not sure what you are wanting or looking for.

They shouldn't be talking about it over the phone with you about such personal things. Appointments are best.

Best wishes.

 

[Cool Cat]

Have you gone through disability services?

Haven't tried them yet for trauma. Tried them for depression before and I just never made it through all the paper work.

@Ayesha I'm talking about both. The college doesn't facilitate people who need that extra bit of help to get them over the line. The teachers ignore students in distress IMO and are too quick to judge things as being down to laziness or the effects of alcohol/drugs.

I can't step out of the room, it's an easy thing to say just step out of the room. It suggests we're in full mental capacity when we're triggered. It would just be ridiculously obvious to my classmates too. Plus you can get frozen when you see triggering stuff, I know I do.

It's easy to say what we should have done after something happens. Reality is, PTSD or dissociative problems can distort your thinking, they make us too scared to think rationally. I am not rational when it comes to my traumas. I am not rational when I am anxious or scared. I can't think like an adult then.

A college facilitates an education. A lot of stuff is up to you but why must we always place the impetus for recovery on the victim? We can't do everything ourselves. And I am just barely out of my teens and was still a teenager when trying to take on my college and all the administrative jargon.

All I want is an education and a 3rd level degree. I need some extra support from my college because I am not as resilient as the other students. I am frustrated because I know if it was a physical difficulty they would gladly facilitate me. Like how they spend tens of thousands of euro installing wheelchair doors for the 1-2 students who need them.

I think it's probably best for me to take a bit of a break from myptsd. I've found it incredibly helpful for the short time I've been a member but this post has just stressed me out as did my one about trigger warnings. Plus I've been a fairly rubbish member of the community especially recently I've been posting way more than interacting or helping others. Thanks so much for the help everyone, don't know where I'd be without it.

 

[anthony]

Plus I've been a fairly rubbish member of the community especially recently I've been posting way more than interacting or helping others.

Negative thinking style... and completely false. Please don't internalise and shift to negative thinking styles, they only create more negative emotions for you which aren't realistic of the situation.

The community is here to help you... you help others when you can, if you can, and many help others inadvertently just by talking about their own struggles with something as a response... you would be surprised how much just sharing just help another realise something of their own.

 

[Seagreen]

Coolcat. Your request was simple and not unreasonable. It must have been very difficult for you to explain your situation only to have them be so nonchalant. I'm sure a lot of people would not have had the courage to ask for compassionate consideration like you did. You are probably right, that if you had a physical disability they would have been more accommodating.

If you feel strongly about this could you put in a complaint somewhere?

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

I just never made it through all the paper work.

I'm talking about both

Okay, I assumed you had been talking with disability when I replied. Who in the college are you talking with other then your teachers?

 

[Cool Cat]

Thanks @anthony , I'm back on the forum now.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

What I see is someone who can't be bothered with taking the necessary steps to get the help they need, but still wants to complain. Until you do what you can, kwitcherbitich. Seriously.

And its not the teachers responsibility to warn you about potentially offensive material. Sort of like how here on the forum we don't use trigger warnings. If teachers had to warn about every possible "triggering" thing done in the classroom, you'd never get to the actual *education* part. Can I go so far as to say that if a class is too triggering to you, then its not the class for you? Is this a psychology class? sociology? women's studies? (I could name a few others)....in that case, EXPECT triggering materials as its part of the curriculum.

Sorry if I sound harsh, but I can't really support someone who is HANDED accommodations yet can't be bothered with them, and instead prefers to complain about how things are.

 

[Kintsugi]

You need to work with disability services (ideally, them in conjunction with a victim advocacy group if there is one on your campus) to figure out ahead of time what allowances and access rights you will have throughout the semester. They can help coordinate with your professors about how to navigate your disability in terms of extensions, and they can probably assist in determining if the content of a course is doable for you before you've committed to that course. If there is just one piece of material that you feel you absolutely cannot cope with, they may be able to arrange ahead of time a different project for you for that one class/assignment.

Good luck.