There are a wide range of mental health disorders (depression, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, psychosis, compulsive disorders, addictions...). If you are studying with a mental health disorder, you may experience depressive symptoms, fatigue and/or severe forms of stress or anxiety. During your degree, you may have difficulty making and maintaining contacts, working with others and planning and organizing activities. It may be difficult to concentrate on your studies or to attend lectures.
What can you do yourself?
Every student is different and needs different support. It is important to explore your options for yourself so that you can find out what works for you. With a student counselor, your academic advisor or a mentor from your program, discuss what support you need to be able to study well with a mental health disorder. Ask them about the options available to you but keep in mind that not everything is possible.
Would you like to learn more about the challenges that mental health disorders can bring or want to read various tips? Check out this useful link about (studying with) mental health disorders.
WHAT SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE AT THE TU/E?
As a student with personal circumstances you can call on student guidance at TU/e for study guidance and facilities that are needed. We will think with you and can help you to remove any obstacles as much as possible and to prevent or limit study delay as a result of your circumstances.
Read moreResources for you
Discussing your mental health disorder can be difficult. At TU/e, a diverse team is here to help you with various questions. If you find that you are becoming stuck in your studies, it is important to discuss this with your academic advisor. If necessary, the academic advisor will refer you to other resources within TU/e.
On our wellbeing page, you can find information about various resources within and outside of TU/e. Through the wellbeing course platform offered by Gezondeboel, you can work on your mental health. Dozens of courses are available, such as ‘Fear of failure’, ‘Loneliness’, and ‘Self-compassion’. You can read about what they might be able to do for you on the website of our student psychologists.
For help with mental health problems, the general practitioner may refer you to a care provider within the basic mental healthcare (BGGZ) or to specialized mental healthcare (SGGZ) depending on the extent of your problems.
Information for teachers
- The website Hogeronderwijstoegankelijk.nl provides information about various disorders that students may face. The website has short texts about the specifics of different disorders, as well as a list of obstacles that students with a specific disorder may face.
- Consider having a conversation with the student about their needs within your curriculum. Here are some pointers on how to respond to signals from a student. In addition, you can consult the student’s academic advisor. It is always a good idea to refer the student to the academic advisor for the disclosure of personal circumstances. If tutors support you in providing education, make agreements with them on how they can raise any concerns they may have about a student.
- Check if your online material is accessible for all your students. In Canvas, you can use Immersive Reader for that.