Petition Letter
November 12, 2014
Associate Dean of Studies,
I am appealing to drop NSCI 323 (Fall, 2014).
In March 2014 I sought treatment for what was diagnosed as generalized anxiety disorder and depression. My untreated anxiety resulted in a major depressive episode that led to my decision to seek treatment for the psychological, and physical symptoms that were significantly affecting my day-to-day functioning. As is reflected in the letter included from my therapist, I regularly attended cognitive behavioural therapy, was able to succeed in my final exams, and ended up on the dean¿¿s honour list. After leaving Kingston for the summer, I made an uninformed decision to cease treatment. I was under the impression that I had overcome my psychological illness. Unfortunately, when midterms arrived, I began experiencing severe anxiety and recurring negative thoughts about myself due to elevated levels of stress. I experienced several panic attacks, including one that occurred in the last 15 minutes of the midterm I wrote just before my NSCI 323 midterm. My academic performance on my NSCI 323 midterm was therefore negatively affected by psychological issues that were, at the time, completely untreated, and left me physically exhausted, and mentally unfocused. Immediately after the exam I felt dizzy, tired, and returned home to sleep, not having realized how poorly I had performed. The midterm is worth 40 of my grade, I received 60, and I believe that my state of psychological distress had a significant negative impact on my ability to succeed. Following this exam my symptoms worsened, and with the support of my family, I made the decision to seek treatment once again. I will continue to attend therapy regularly in order to succeed on my final exams, although I believe continuing in this course will create extreme stress during finals, as it will be difficult to make up for the grade I received on the midterm, and will negatively affect my performance in my other courses.
I spoke with my professor before deciding to pursue this course of action, and he encouraged me to proceed. I was uncomfortable disclosing the nature of my mental illness, although, regardless of that, he expressed that it would be a hard exam to bounce back from. In order to achieve academic success this year, and in the future, I would like to drop this class, and proceed with my other courses this semester while I continue to attend therapy, and transition to the use of medication to cope with these difficulties, and recover. Next semester, when I am further along in my therapy, I will take five courses, continue to attend therapy, and likely achieve at the high level I am capable of as is reflected in my Winter 2014 grades. I entered this year 6 credits ahead due to my Summer 2013 course, therefore dropping NSCI 323 this semester, and taking five courses next semester leaves me on track to graduate as planned. I have spoken with an academic advisor to ensure that these plans will not set me back academically. This experience has taught me that in order to succeed academically I must improve and maintain my mental health. I believe that dropping NSCI 323 will be a large factor in my ability to recover, and succeed academically in my other subjects this semester, and in the future.
Sincerely,
Claudia Rattray
Associate Dean of Studies,
I am appealing to drop NSCI 323 (Fall, 2014).
In March 2014 I sought treatment for what was diagnosed as generalized anxiety disorder and depression. My untreated anxiety resulted in a major depressive episode that led to my decision to seek treatment for the psychological, and physical symptoms that were significantly affecting my day-to-day functioning. As is reflected in the letter included from my therapist, I regularly attended cognitive behavioural therapy, was able to succeed in my final exams, and ended up on the dean¿¿s honour list. After leaving Kingston for the summer, I made an uninformed decision to cease treatment. I was under the impression that I had overcome my psychological illness. Unfortunately, when midterms arrived, I began experiencing severe anxiety and recurring negative thoughts about myself due to elevated levels of stress. I experienced several panic attacks, including one that occurred in the last 15 minutes of the midterm I wrote just before my NSCI 323 midterm. My academic performance on my NSCI 323 midterm was therefore negatively affected by psychological issues that were, at the time, completely untreated, and left me physically exhausted, and mentally unfocused. Immediately after the exam I felt dizzy, tired, and returned home to sleep, not having realized how poorly I had performed. The midterm is worth 40 of my grade, I received 60, and I believe that my state of psychological distress had a significant negative impact on my ability to succeed. Following this exam my symptoms worsened, and with the support of my family, I made the decision to seek treatment once again. I will continue to attend therapy regularly in order to succeed on my final exams, although I believe continuing in this course will create extreme stress during finals, as it will be difficult to make up for the grade I received on the midterm, and will negatively affect my performance in my other courses.
I spoke with my professor before deciding to pursue this course of action, and he encouraged me to proceed. I was uncomfortable disclosing the nature of my mental illness, although, regardless of that, he expressed that it would be a hard exam to bounce back from. In order to achieve academic success this year, and in the future, I would like to drop this class, and proceed with my other courses this semester while I continue to attend therapy, and transition to the use of medication to cope with these difficulties, and recover. Next semester, when I am further along in my therapy, I will take five courses, continue to attend therapy, and likely achieve at the high level I am capable of as is reflected in my Winter 2014 grades. I entered this year 6 credits ahead due to my Summer 2013 course, therefore dropping NSCI 323 this semester, and taking five courses next semester leaves me on track to graduate as planned. I have spoken with an academic advisor to ensure that these plans will not set me back academically. This experience has taught me that in order to succeed academically I must improve and maintain my mental health. I believe that dropping NSCI 323 will be a large factor in my ability to recover, and succeed academically in my other subjects this semester, and in the future.
Sincerely,
Claudia Rattray