Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dean and Professor:

I pride myself on my intellect and my academic achievements. If you look at my high school standings and courses to date at Queens, you will see that I am a strong student. In grade 9, I was diagnosed with Anxiety and Depression, sought and received medical support ¿¿ both from a psychiatrist and through medication. In grade 12, I went off my medication, under the guidance of my Dr. Each winter, I am highly impacted by SADs and as a result, this past January, on Winter break, I returned to the Dr. and was provided a different prescription for mood disorders and depression. We looked for an alternative, as the first round was highly negatively impacting on my energy and brain use. I returned to school in January with an unusual reaction to the medication. I was inexplicably lethargic, still depressed, and unable to focus, listen or retain information. However, I knew that medications take time to adjust to ones body, so I tried to persevere. On Reading week, I returned home and again to the psychiatrist, who decided that my reaction was too intense and I was instructed to wean off the meds. Again, I had a horrible reaction to the getting off the meds ¿¿ symptoms even worse than the original impact. I was shaky, had intense migraines, and unable to focus my mind. It took more that a month for me to once again feel in control of my brain.

As my marks will indicate, I did well enough in the Fall term with Prof. Carran, but midterm 2, right after
Reading week, was an impossible task for me. I was, without question, not myself.

Being an anxious student, I was worried to check my marks and only did so today. I am devastated with most of this term, as it is not reflective of my true abilities, but most concerned with the C in Chem 282.

This past month I was given a metabolic and genetic marker test at CAMH to determine why I react so adversely to certain generic antidepressants. Results came back highlighting that the medications I tried were ones that I do not metabolize and should not be taking. I am meeting with my psychiatrist again tomorrow to perhaps try the one and only drug that is suggested for use based on my profile.

Please see that I am trying to manage my illness, and will do whatever I need to in order to manage my depression, so that I am successful in school, and continue on my path towards medical school. I only ask that my excelling past be considered and my very, very difficult semester wrt my mental health be taken into account and hopefully not be allowed to affect my future, based on a medical challenge that was beyond my control.

Thank you.