Anonymous Story #9 - Am I the only one?

We will be posting this story as a thread below but if you'd prefer to read it as a blog you can do that [blog post] disabledinhighered.weebly.com/blog/october-2… (1/X)

#DisabledInHigherEd #DEHEM21 #DisInHigherEd Picture of a red hand indicating stop on a walkway with a qu
I was really excited when I heard about DEHEM. I’ve been in grad school for 10 years, and I’ve met very few other disabled people. Still, even after reading through all of the roll calls, I feel like I’m the only 1 like me in academia. I’m a schizophrenic with borderline (BPD) 2/
In all the conversations I’ve seen about mental health visibility in academia, I’ve NEVER seen anything about academics who experience psychosis. Anxiety and depression are becoming more normalized, but psychosis is being left out of the conversation.⁠
When I first started graduate school, I joined a group for mentally ill academics. Everyone inspired me with how open they were about their diagnoses. When I announced that I wanted to be open, too, the reaction was “Woah! No! No one will hire a schizophrenic.” 3/
Maybe there are other academics like me out there, but we’re being silenced and kept in hiding. I wish I could post this story with my name; but, since I want to become a professor, I just can’t risk it. 4/
My plea to those who are working on mental health issues in academia is to remember that I’m not the only one like me out there.⁠

We thank our anonymous author for their story. Fin/

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More from @DisInHigherEd

23 Oct
Anonymous Story #11 - Campus Tutor

We will be posting this story as a thread below but if you'd prefer to read it as a blog you can do that
CW: Sexual Assault, Suicidality
[blog post] disabledinhighered.weebly.com/blog/campus-tu… (1/6)

#DisabledInHigherEd #DEHEM21 #DisInHigherEd Picture of a Black person's hand holding a pen and writing o
My community college didn't have disability testing. They required doctor letters that have been written in the past 30 days. The only accommodation was 10 mins extra on test time, nothing else--no interpreters, notetakers, nothing. I'm Deaf. 2/
CW: Sexual Assault, Suicidality
I went to campus tutors constantly to help with notes, then was raped by 1 of them. No investigation. No sympathy. There were no counseling services. 3/
Read 6 tweets
23 Oct
Anonymous Story #10 - Removed from Campus

We will be posting this story as a thread below but if you'd prefer to read it as a blog you can do that [blog post] disabledinhighered.weebly.com/blog/october-2… (1/7)

#DisabledInHigherEd #DEHEM21 #DisInHigherEd Picutre of a university campus taken from a height on a sunn
Content Warning: PTSD, Bipolar Mania⁠

I want to let people know my story, but I wish to remain anonymous because of the stigma. I have bipolar 1, autism, C-PTSD, and a constellation of chronic physical illnesses. 2/
My first semester of college, the only mental health diagnosis I had was PTSD, so I had no idea I am bipolar. I was experiencing my worst ever manic episode for over four months my whole first semester, and although I remember very little, I can tell you the outcome. 3/
Read 7 tweets
23 Oct
Anonymous Story #8 - Being Open about Plurality

We will be posting this story as a thread below but if you'd prefer to read it as a blog you can do that [blog post] disabledinhighered.weebly.com/blog/being-ope… (1/X)

#DisabledInHigherEd #DEHEM21 #DisInHigherEd
Haven't seen a whole lot of folks like us in higher education, which is probably why we're choosing to share that we exist.

Hello. We're an autistic grad student in the STEM field. We're also an undiagnosed (but seeking therapy) OSDD-1b system. 2/
In layman's terms: we're many people in one body as a result of identity dissociation, but do not experience traditional dissociative amnesia. This is also called "partial Dissociative Identity Disorder" in the ICD-10. 3/
Read 20 tweets
23 Oct
Anonymous Story #8 - Unsupportive Advisor

We will be posting this story as a thread below but if you'd prefer to read it as a blog you can do that [blog post] disabledinhighered.weebly.com/blog/unsupport… (1/4)

#DisabledInHigherEd #DEHEM21 #DisInHigherEd Picture of a dimly lit building with many glass windows inst
This weekend I decided that I need to switch labs. I am starting my fourth year, so it will be extremely painful and likely hurt my career, but my advisor keeps telling me that I don’t belong in academia and if I can’t work longer or harder then I should just leave. (2/4)
I believe that there should be a place for people like me (I have depression & panic disorder, as well as hypothyroidism) & I want to make it through to help reduce the toxic cultural expectations, but I can’t do that if my advisor won’t give me a chance. I’m heartbroken.⁠ (3/4)
Read 4 tweets
23 Oct
Anonymous Story #7 - How are you?

We will be posting this story as a thread below but if you'd prefer to read it as a blog you can do that [blog post] disabledinhighered.weebly.com/blog/how-are-y… (1/8)

#DisabledInHigherEd #DEHEM21 #DisInHigherEd Picture of a person's hand clutching a pen between their thu
CW: mentions of anorexia

I dropped out of my undergraduate degree in engineering (returned 3 years later to finish it) due to severe depression.

I was on antidepressants and attending counselling, but we hadn't yet found the right combination that worked. (2/8)
CW: mentions of anorexia

It was my last semester and I simply could not muster the energy to finish it. In addition to struggling with depression, I was dealing with extreme pain from endometriosis and was in recovery from anorexia nervosa. (3/8)
Read 8 tweets
23 Oct
One last thing before I log out: I am not perfect. Recovery and progress are not always linear. I still have bad days, bad mornings, bad afternoons... 1/
Sometimes I don't practice what I preach, and I use that as an opportunity to hold myself accountable in the process. It is so immensely difficult to prioritize mental health, well-being and to take care of yourself in higher education. 2/
Sometimes I find myself just surviving, and what may seem like the bare minimum is me trying the best I can. And you know what? That is okay! 3/
Read 11 tweets

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