Diagnosed With A Mental Health Condition?
Sometimes it is a relief to finally know that there is a reason for how you have been feeling or behaving. For some it allows things to finally fall into place when they can put their finger on what is wrong and access treatment. Perhaps you have got lots of questions about what this all means, what causes your condition and what impact this could have on your life. Some questions your doctor or counsellor can answer, some answers you may find here and some answers you will only find out through experience. It is perfectly normal to feel a bit unsure about it all. Mental health conditions vary enormously in the impact they have on people as individuals, as well as the affect they can have on study. Most people find that mental illness has a significant affect on their ability to concentrate and focus, organise themselves and keep on task. Being diagnosed with a mental health condition is not as uncommon as you may think. Around 20% of Australians will experience an episode of mental illness at some time during their lives. Whatever symptoms you’ve been experiencing (and these may vary from time to time) the majority of symptoms can be managed well by medication, counselling, diet and exercise. When you manage your illness well, it is more likely that you will be better able to cope with the day to day stresses of study as well as life. The more you understand about yourself and your symptoms the easier it is to stay healthy. Educate yourself about symptoms you may have, treatment options and community resources or supports at uni. The web can be a great place to look as well as asking your doctor or counsellor. Be careful with information you find on the web. Remember that anybody can create a webpage and put stuff on there and ‘Google’ doesn’t differentiate between where it is coming from. So make sure that the websites you go to come from reputable sources. Some good websites are listed below but more are included under ‘Useful Resources’. Eating Disorders Anxiety Disorders Depression Bipolar Disorders Psychosis Substance abuse disorders Self Harm and Self Injury Some thoughts on Medication Medication can take a couple of weeks to start working. In the beginning you may need frequent regular visits to your doctor to sort it out. When you are on medication a good working relationship with your doctor is very important. The GP’s in the UWA Medical Centre can monitor you, if you find it difficult to get back to your specialist regularly. Learn about your medication, how it works, what to expect, side effects and dietary/lifestyle restrictions. Take your medication only as it has been prescribed to you and don’t give it to any body else even if they seem to have exactly the same things going on for them as you do. Going off your medication abruptly is a really bad idea. It can make you really ill, emotionally and physically. It’s a bit like having the flu and food poisoning at the same time. If you are thinking of ceasing your medication it is important that you discuss this with the person who prescribed it or another doctor who knows you well. They may not necessarily disagree with you and it can be important to discuss with them why you are considering this option. If you choose to drink, work out for your self realistically how much you can tolerate. (A big night out with people you don’t know very well, is not the time to experiment!) Try to make sure you have some friends around who know you when you try this out. Speak to your doctor or counsellor about crunch times throughout the academic year. Working at uni they understand the pressures and the cycles of student life and can help you develop some strategies that work for you. Try to organise study time around when you take your medication. Some medications can cause nausea, headache or can have a tranquilizing effect. Try to work around these times when you can. If you change medication, ask if this involves a ‘wash out‘ period, where you will be un-medicated for a week or two and may feel pretty dreadful. Discuss with your doctor and try to plan ahead to make sure that these are not key times of the year. Some extra support from the Disability Office, Counsellor or Guild Education Officer may help with organising the academic side of things. What you can do if you feel overwhelmed It is helpful to think about what aspects of study you find most difficult when you are unwell and try to develop some strategies to manage them. The Learning Skills Advisors or Uni Access staff are good places to chat about this. Here are some suggestions of what you can do for yourself if you are starting to feel overwhelmed by your mental health condition or if your stress and anxiety is really getting in the way of how your live your life. |
