Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Johanne Bénard,

I am appealing to drop the following courses after the designated drop date: PHIL 373. I experienced a relapses in major depressive disorder and as a result, I was unable to adequately perform in this course.

January 2015 was when I first experienced depression. As you will find detailed in my previous two letters for appeal, I began experiencing severe anxiety, and depression. As a direct result I ceased leaving my house, failed to attend any class, and removed myself from as many social interactions as possible. However, in April 2015 I sought treatment with both my family doctor and a psychologist. I began taking anti depressants and having weekly therapy sessions. This treatment brought me into remission and at the end of the summer I felt confident that I could return to school. I successfully completed the Fall 2015 term, the Winter 2016 term, and the summer 2016 term as well. Unfortunately, despite my treatment plan of medication and counseling, I was unable to successfully complete the following year because of a relapse into my depression. Since it has always been a top priority of mine to successfully complete my education, I decided to take two courses this past summer (Summer 2017), and successfully complete both courses and achieving a mark of A+ in both courses. I was fully functioning academically while maintaining a full time job with the University during this summer. I believed that I was able to better manage my depression coming into 2017 Fall term. I knew that I still suffered from anxiety, so I made sure to continue with my medication and my therapy sessions with my psychotherapist, both as means of managing my anxiety and depressive thoughts. I felt sure that I would be able to mange my mental health, and avoid a relapse. Never the less, in November 2017 I began experiencing the beginnings of a relapse into depression once again.

Since I had previously experienced a relapse of this nature, I was prepared for how gravely such a relapse might affect by ability to function. Thus, when I noticed the signs that my depression was resurfacing, I proactively dropped one of my courses before the drop date. I decided not to drop the remaining three because I had already completed course work for those classes, and I believed I was capable of completing them. I have currently been granted an incomplete for Phil 347, and once I have submitted the final paper, I will have finished said course as well. As of the drop date, I was in a good position to complete Phil 373 as well, however after my depression set in during November, my functioning was severely inhibited and I was unable to complete the work for Phil 373. I ceased leaving the house, and was paralyzed by intense critical thoughts, suicidal thoughts, a sense of hopelessness, and periodic bouts of intense anxiety.

Thanks to the support of a family member at the beginning of December I was able to regain some functioning to the point of being able to finish Phil 301, and finish almost all of Phil 347. However, I was not well enough to complete the third course.

School is incredibly important to me; that much has not changed through out my struggles with depression. I value my academic success more than anything and I do not want my illness to be the reason I do not succeed. However, it has become abundantly clear that my depression is not going away, and that I am unable to successfully manage my depression whilst at school. For this reason I have decided to take a leave from school so as to prioritize my mental illness. I have every intention of returning to Queen¿¿s to finish my degree once I am fully recovered. At this moment, thought, that is not possible.

Throughout my struggle, the one thing that I still know to be true is that I have a deep desire to learn and a strong drive to succeed. My depression prevents me from fully reaping the benefits of my education, and so I must wait until I am well enough to continue with by education. When I return, I will guarantee my success through registering with disability services, and through taking a part time course load. I know I can succeed in the future; I have not given up despite my struggles. Please consider my appeal.