Navigating college life and adjusting to the reality of adulthood and responsibility is extremely challenging for anyone, but it can take an especially large toll on students that suffer from mental illness and understandably so. It is estimated that 1 in every 12 college students in the United States has made a suicide plan, and only 1/3 of those suffering seek help.
So many young lives are lost because we live in a society where we believe that we have to conform to the "societal norm" of finishing college in 4 years with no detours or bumps in the road, but this just isn't true. We have to learn that it's okay to take our own individual path and make ourselves aware that it is 100% OKAY to choose our mental health over school and take some time off to heal.
I personally suffer from Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety, Anorexia Nervosa and Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. I knew that going to college would be tough, but I felt ready to tackle the challenges that it would bring. But after only five weeks, I was forced to face the reality that I would have to drop out of school to go back to treatment or I could die.
This was exceptionally challenging to come to terms with because I knew that would mean that I would be behind all of my friends in school and I most likely wouldn't be able to graduate in just four years. I also was devastated by the idea of leaving my new exciting adult life and my roommates behind to deal with my disorder.
But looking back, I'm glad I made the decision to choose my health over school and this is why: I've come to realize that college is nothing like high school where you are defined by your status of either "freshman," "sophomore," "junior," or "senior." Literally, nobody cares.
I also realized that there are SO many people in college and everyone is different and has their own plan: the whole cookie-cutter four-year graduation idea I had in my head was false. The final thing I realized was that things don't end after graduating college. I came to see that people will be going to graduate school or medical school, etc. So even if I didn't finish college in four years, most of my friends are still going to be in school anyway.
All of this just goes to say, that to anyone out there who is in school and struggling with a disability of ANY kind, it is totally okay to choose your health over school and you won't regret your decision. Things don't always go as we expect them to, but when we follow the path that is meant for us instead of the path that we want for ourselves, things turn out way better than we could've ever imagined. It's time for the stigma to end, it's time that we as a society realize that we are not weak for seeking help and choosing our health over school, but we are indeed strong for being able to make that decision.
