Severe depression+Burnout....Need Help Making It Out This Semester

<p>I'm a current undergraduate double majoring in Computer Engineering and Physics. I currently have a 3.94 GPA. However, this semester is just a mess. I have a lot of burnout from consistently taking a lot of hours, research/extracurriculars, drain of motivation....and the worst of them all...my mother is on life support. She was diagnosed with cancer 2 years ago. Initially we all thought she beat it shortly after, but it was metastatic and reappeared. My parents lied to me about her condition this summer while I was taking summer classes so I wouldn't be stressed, but my father broke the news with me mid-September. I'm having the hardest time of my life right now. My focus and ambition is a 0%, and I'm just socializing on campus and wasting time to get my mind off of it. I can't sit down and study, because it requires me to be myself, and usually I end up thinking about my mother.</p>

<p>This semester, I'm taking 18 hours. My grades are sort of approaching toilet level marks (some are good) relative to my past performance and future aspirations (I want to be a research scientist and work on methods of perfecting electronic hardware for performance, memory, etc.) </p>

<p>Modern Physics- 97, high A
Linear Algebra- 83, low B
Partial Differential Equations- 88, mid B
Signal Processing- 74, Worst class ever, depressing atmosphere, 8:00 A.M. in the morning
Data Communications Engineering- 91
Optics- 93</p>

<p>Some classes are easy because of a good support system I have, etc. But, some classes in my major, like signal processing and linear algebra, are approaching garbage marks. </p>

<p>I have a USAF Scholarship and an old internship at Fermi National Accelerator Labs in Illinois. I really want to be a scientist when I graduate after I go on to graduate school, but I'm at a point where I've burned out, and I have lost it all. I feel like next week when I have tests in Data Communications and Linear Algebra, I'm going to be at a point where I have 2 C's and 2 B's, and I'll slowly chisel down to a slippery slope of poor performance.</p>

<p>I need something to reignite my flare. My classes are progressing faster and faster, and I'll get caught in the dust soon. I'm not a lazy person, but I feel like I'm in a life changing situation, I've battled suicide twice since school started.</p>

<p>I feel like a counselor is useless, I'm too embarrassed to expose myself 100% to my friends, and I don't trust neuro-meds....please, any suggestions?</p>

<p>Your mother is on life support. That is a devastating thing that you are dealing with every day. You are doing the best you can, if you feel like you need to take the rest of the semester off, people will understand.</p>

<p>Please contact your student health center and see a counselor immediately! You can get HELP, not necessarily meds. If you need to withdraw or drop classes, you should do it very soon. I think you will be surprised by how understanding your school is. My son has a mental illness, and the two schools he has attended have been wonderful. They tell me that every semester, kids need help and some have to withdraw. It’s NOT uncommon!</p>