<p>I want to say, that I am so sorry your kids are going through this. Please be aware that this happens far more often than one would think. It is quite common. Mental, emotional, behavioral illnesses rear their ugly heads up in these young adult years and those demons do a mad dance at that time. Most of the time, as adulthood sinks in and the triggers are blunted, people learn to deal with their frailties in those areas as many with other chronic conditions learn to cope. Colleges are more than familiar with these issues. But they are true medical crises and should be treated as such and if you can buy a little time to decide how to deal with college with a medical leave and incompletes, do so.</p>
<p>Request incompletes not Ws it is so late in the semester it is crazy to lose out on all she has done. I would start with the professors, email each one thru your daughters online account… Introduce yourself and explain the situation. My guess is they will work with your D, if not escalate to the Dean.</p>
<p>Sorry, Longsx3, but your advice is wrong. In such a situation, the parent should contact the Dean of Students, whose job this is. S/he will contact the professors.</p>
<p>Just went through this sent you a PM</p>
<p>This is a common time for psychiatric problems to emerge (I’m a psychologist and former psych nurse) however sometimes there are other reasons for the symptoms such as use of Accutane or other prescribed drugs.</p>
<p>Yes, the Dean of Students is your best contact point now. If it seems likely that your D may be able to handle finishing up some or all of her classes over the summer, you might inquire about Incompletes. However, if it looks like the situation would not be likely to accommodate that, then the medical withdrawal is your best option, even though it will cause a financial loss. Of course, her health needs to be the top priority.</p>
<p>LasMa:</p>
<p>No…there is not a history. However, I have found out other circumstances that may have caused this break. Possibly a female babysitter who sexually abused her at an early age came to the fore with this break. There is much to explore in therapy now. One professional who was a friend of a friend we contacted by phone for advice said it could be PTSD brought on by stress during school and not schizophrenia.</p>
<p>Joules</p>
<p>Ask the dean just how long an Incomplete can be allowed to linger on her school records. This varies a lot from place to place. Some will allow an I on the transcript for years. This might be a better option than a W. With an I she would just have to eventually complete the remaining papers/projects/exams for a specific course in order to be awarded the final grade.</p>
<p>Please do not worry about your daughter’s ability to finish up college a month, semester, or a year from now. I’m a college professor in California, and I can assure you that if she has a documented mental illness, she is protected by federal law in a case like this. For information on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C. § 794, see [Protecting</a> Students With Disabilities](<a href=“http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/504faq.html]Protecting”>Protecting Students With Disabilities). The college must make accommodations – and probably will do so, gladly – to help your daughter finish her education.</p>
<p>Travelnut:</p>
<p>My spouse and I are both Registered Nurses so we are trying to care for her as much as possible between the two of us. We know first hand the stigma and problems she could have being labeled at this early age. If its just a stress breakdown or PTSD…I dont want a schizophrenic label on her. I want to proceed with caution while monitoring her. We took away her cell phone, car keys etc. and take her with us wherever we go. We are on opposite shifts and have another young adult daughter to help in between. Besides my daughter denied being at risk to herself or others to the PES counselor. Since she is 22 we can not really make any decisions for her even though she lives in our house. It is also impossible to obtain information on her from health professionals because she is a young adult. She gives consent for us to know whats going on when we are present…but…when asked alone after we are asked to sit outside the room…she does not consent to give us info. It is the symptom of the psychotic break. We got her to take pill #2 today and it getting better slowly. She still can not finish school. So I will deal with the Dean tomorrow. </p>
<p>Thanks,
Joules</p>
<p>CalAlum:</p>
<p>Thank you for that info! I will try to deal with it tomorrow. Do you recommend to talk to
the Dean of Student Life/Affairs as well?
Joules</p>
<p>IBfootballer:</p>
<p>Thank you for your advice!</p>
<p>Joules</p>
<p>^^ The relevant office varies from college to college. But you WANT TO MAINTAIN your daughter’s privacy about this issue. So I recommend that you call the switchboard or look through the directory and find the office that deals with accommodations for students with disabilities. At my institution, it’s the Academic Success Center; at another school, it may have another name. However, the staff in that area will be well versed in federal law and probably very familiar with this kind of event – it’s not that uncommon.</p>
<p>P.S. I have a graduate student who just finished up – like your daughter, she experienced a psychotic break two years ago and took a year off. We would have given her an unlimited number of years to return, fyi. She has completed with a really wonderful thesis – it’s a great success story. Only I and two other staff at the university know anything about her situation.</p>
<p>All the best.</p>
<p>intparent:</p>
<p>I’m sorry for your loss of your family member. Thanks for the advice!</p>
<p>Joules</p>
<p>CalAlum:</p>
<p>Thanks!..yes…I agree keeping the issue private is of great concern. I know first hand being a RN I see other medical professionals pre-judging patients based on their diagnosis listed on the face sheet. It should not happen…but…we all know it does.</p>
<p>Its nice to know the successful outcome of your graduate student. Thank you for your advice!</p>
<p>Joules</p>
<p>NC Mom:</p>
<p>Yes…its nice to see all the help and advice I am receiving. I want to thank everyone who replied. I was trying to thank everyone individually, but this thread is growing so quickly.</p>
<p>Thank you all!</p>
<p>Joules</p>
<p>Don’t worry about responding to everyone separately; a blanket thank-you is fine. :)</p>
<p>I’ll be thinking good thoughts for you tomorrow, Joules. If you feel able, keep us updated.</p>
<p>I am so sorry reading about this.</p>
<p>I am a college professor and I had an episode like the one you describe when I was 18. The diagnosis at the time was “hebephrenic schizophrenia.” It turned out to be a misdiagnosis, and I had prednisone withdrawal syndrome and adrenal failure. It could have been fatal.</p>
<p>I didn’t have the paranoia, but I was having hallucinations.</p>
<p>The best thing my parents did for me was to withdraw me from the semester across the board. I know that the INC’s are attractive when your daughter did so much work for them, but for me they would have been hanging over my head intensifying my anxiety. </p>
<p>The information given about Federal Law is useful, and if the INC are for an indefinite period of time, that’s one thing. We have a one semester policy at my school and I would have agonized about them.</p>
<p>I never tried getting the diagnosis officially changed. I’m not sure who has ever had access to that diagnosis, but I have been a tenured faculty member of a public institution for 25 years. I had no difficulties being accepted to a prestigious grad school.</p>
<p>One of my professors did spread the rumor that I was crazy in angry fit over his wounded pride (I won’t go into that – it was the late 80’s), but it never gained traction. I am a bit eccentric and creative (poet etc) so I let it go.</p>
<p>You D will have a future, but I agree with posters who say her current mental health is the number one priority. Hang in there.</p>
<p>LasMa:</p>
<p>I will try to keep you all updated. Thanks again!</p>
<p>Joules</p>
<p>Mythmom:</p>
<p>Thank you for your experience and your encouragement! </p>
<p>Joules</p>