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A supportive uni teacher

greenEyes2019 November 10th, 2017

Hello lovely souls,

I've been wondering about depression coming-out, if I may call it this way.

At the beginning of my academic year, one teacher told us if we suffered from any illness, including mental illness (e.g. depression), we would be welcomed to say so. I remember the teacher say, "Your mental health is very important", and I found it very surprising to have such a great tutor, since it's been my first teacher ever to talk about such matters. One the one hand, I'd really like to admit that I'm depressed and that's why I might sometimes have problems in class, but on the other hand, I wouldn't like to appear weak, resigned and as if I demand some special treating (I don't mean to offend any sufferers, it's just my personal fear).

The thing is, do you think it's worth telling your teacher you're a depression sufferer? Especially when depression begins to disrupt your studies again?

4
blossomingFlower3 November 10th, 2017

@greenEyes2019 When I went to high school I had a mentor whom I absolutely adored. It was because if I had troubles, were extremely depressed or just needed someone to talk to, he was there for me. He knew about my depression and the last year of high school I finally realised that he was trustworthy and I knew for a fact that he actually cared about my mental health. My high school years were troubled, but he had my back. By telling him about my depression gave me something to fall back on in case I wasn't capable of coming to school or turning in my assignments in time. He helped me to talk to the other teachers about how my mental health was affecting my studies, and how I functioned as a person. This helped me a lot because the school understood that I needed some adjustments because of my depression. It's okay to show weakness and it's okay to vulnerable. I personally recommend telling your teacher about your depression. It's okay to have things adjusted for your own sake. I also think by telling your tutor, it will help you long term.

1 reply
greenEyes2019 OP November 12th, 2017

@blossomingFlower3

I love this!

Such a teacher is a treasure, I imagine. I wish I could open up to my tutor, but something is holding me back. Perhaps this is the vulnerability you mention, I've never been taught it's okay to be vulnerable.

Thank you for sharing!

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