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SEAS Question - Mental Illness Edition

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regal:
Hey everyone!

I'm in Year 11 but wanted to ask a very specific (personal) question regarding a SEAS application.

I've suffered from mental illnesses from Year 7, mostly depression and BDD but they didn't truly manifest until the start of Year 10 when my BDD spiralled into full blown anorexia/bulimia. My ED pushed me way into depression again, and changes in my brain chemistry have caused me to have certain delusions (hallucinations, auditory and visual and paranoia) so probably another psychotic/schizophrenic disorder. I've dealt with supplement (Vitamins and caffeine because I never had energy), laxative (bulimia is literally SHITTY) and painkiller abuse also, coming in at the start of 2016.

I know this is gonna affect me in Year 12 (I'm already taking Media 3+4 and Literature 3+4 this year), but I am so afraid to ask for help.

I've seen the school psych since 2014 for general 'issues'. Never got a diagnosis for depression or BDD because I was so afraid to ask if my symptoms = depression or BDD.

Never got help for my (ongoing) ED. I'm too afraid to reach out. Also I would die if my family tried to weight restore me.

Closest thing I've gotten help for is schizophrenia. End of 2016 (3 months ago) school psych was supposed to give me a referral to a specialist diagnostic centre in my area but didn't get back to me after the summer hols, and once again I'm afraid to 1. let my parents know I deal with any of this bs and 2. Annoy my already busy school psych who deals with higher risk students (suicidal, self harm etc, which I'm not).

I'm left feeling like an abolute coward. My culture is Asian and my family have made extremely insensitive and hurtful comments toward others regarding their mental illnesses. They've made it rather clear that they don't accept people with mental illnesses.

Additionally, I'm really nervous about job applications in the future. What do I do if I need to disclose my medical history? How will people see me once they know I'm a crazy bitch (not in the cute quirky way) who sees people that aren't there and talking spiders?

I want to clarify that some of my mental illnesses in this post are self-diagnosed. A lot of people really shit on those who self diagnose, but I don't need a psych telling me that overdosing on laxatives to get food out quickly is wrong. I don't need a psych to tell me that not eating for 2 weeks is wrong. Puking is pretty much always a sign that something is wrong. You shouldn't feel like you want to die for weeks on end. Anyway.

Questions:

How do I go about getting evidence for SEASwhen the time comes? I have no diagnoses but a psychiatric history..

Is there a way for me to get help without parental consent? I'm 15+ so can get my own Medicare card.

Is it even worth applying for SEAS? I'm already one of the top 3 students in all my classes (except Methods ew, but still good @ it) but I'd like insurance if I can't get into Biomed...

Sorry for such a long, depressing and personal post :(

www:
Hey regal.

I can totally resonate with your fear of diagnosis and feeling like a coward. My family is Asian too and hold similar views which you described. It's rough, but hopefully I can help you with your questions to alleviate some of the worries you have.


--- Quote ---Additionally, I'm really nervous about job applications in the future. What do I do if I need to disclose my medical history? How will people see me once they know I'm a crazy bitch (not in the cute quirky way) who sees people that aren't there and talking spiders?
--- End quote ---

Remember, there is no legal obligation for you to do so as long as it doesn't impact your ability to perform all the job's requirements and tasks. However, in the case you are asked to, you should also note it is illegal for them to treat you unfairly due to your disclosure. I'm not too informed past that, but there is this document that you could read (not sure if it's recent, seems recent, should still help regardless). It should help with all the logistics!


--- Quote ---How do I go about getting evidence for SEASwhen the time comes? I have no diagnoses but a psychiatric history..
--- End quote ---

SEAS has sections where they ask for supporting statements, which are statements from individuals who can support the claims you're making. An official diagnosis is not required as long as you have sufficient documentation and support. Which leads onto getting into contact with a GP/doctor/etc. to get documentation/statements from them which I kinda answer below, so read on.


--- Quote ---Is there a way for me to get help without parental consent? I'm 15+ so can get my own Medicare card.
--- End quote ---

100% yes. You can go to a GP/doctor alone and seek help and documentation that way. I would leave it to your discretion to keep the documents/visits private from your family, and your transport method. Here are some some pages that support this and give you the all clear to seek help without parental consent (link 1, link 2).


--- Quote ---Is it even worth applying for SEAS? I'm already one of the top 3 students in all my classes (except Methods ew, but still good @ it) but I'd like insurance if I can't get into Biomed...
--- End quote ---

Yes! SEAS has categories. Category 1 is basic details like home location, school, etc. which everyone is recommended to apply for. You should definitely apply for the other relevant sections regarding your situation - and if I remember correctly, they have spaces to explain yourself with character limits. I only had category 1 for my SEAS application and Monash ended up providing me the Monash Guarantee simply because of my house location (socio-economic factors or something). Though I didn't need the Guarantee in the end, it was nice knowing I had a lowered entry ATAR for my dream course. Regardless of student rankings, it could mean the difference so definitely apply. Even if nothing comes of it, you at least tried to make a solid application. There is always a way to the course you want!

Hope it helped, good luck with Literature too! Don't be too discouraged by these scores you get now in Year 11 if they don't meet your expectations. You can totally turn it around! I'd like to think my Literature score gave me the motivation to do well in Year 12. :)

Everyone, feel free to jump in to fix any incorrect details and I'll edit them here too!

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