Petition Letter
I??m appealing to have the following courses dropped. During the winter semester, I suffered a depressive episode that started affecting my academic performance from February 20th onwards. I experienced depressive symptoms throughout such as sadness, guilt, insomnia, inability to complete small tasks, difficulty with my memory, reduced appetite, and weight loss. I also experienced symptoms of anxiety and began to have panic attacks later on in the semester. My father had passed away following my parent's divorce 6 years ago and although this was not a recent event, feelings of grief and regret were exacerbated during this time period for me. These symptoms severely interfered with my ability to concentrate and complete my assignments on time without missing submission deadlines. I had never dealt with a depressive episode before and because I was struggling to focus on any task, I contacted a health care professional late in the semester. On April 6th I met with Solita Hoogendam who is a counselor at student wellness services and she enrolled me in QSAS. I sent my letters of accommodation to my instructors however was still struggling with depression and anxiety at the time. I have since started seeing a psychiatrist, Dr. ALicia Hancock over zoom at Milestones which is a local practice in Bermuda. I have set up weekly appointments with Dr. Hancock and will continue these in person when I go back to Bermuda in the summer to ensure that my depression doesn??t interfere with my studies in the future.