Petition Letter
I am appealing to drop these courses because due to my mental health challenges, I was not able to complete what was required of me. I struggle with depression and anxiety, for which I take SSRIs. I also have Gastro-Esophogal Reflux Disorder, which gives me a lot of trouble sleeping. I take medication for this as well. Without my medications, I struggle to be functional. For approximately one month and a half this term, I did not have access to my medication. My prescription ran out, and I was unable to get an appointment to renew it. The longer I went without my SSRIs, the more difficult I found it to figure out an alternative way to get my prescription, and it turned into a bit of a feedback cycle, where being off my meds would make me feel much worse and take my motivation away, which in turn made it even more difficult to climb back out of this mental ditch. Not having my GERD meds was an issue too, since it affected the quality of my sleep very negatively. As a result of these circumstances, I was not able to complete my academic requirements. Since I was struggling to even do basic tasks like get out of bed, go to the store, or cook dinner, I was forced to prioritize my well-being over my academics. Now that I finally have my prescription again, I am starting to get back on track, but unfortunately I have fallen behind so heavily that I will not be able to catch up before the end of the term. Thus, I had to prioritize which classes to keep and catch up in, and Karen Knight advised me to make this appeal.