My "Disability":
I live in the US and am classified by my state as being "Severely Emotionally Disturbed" meaning I have mental health issues (Major Depression, Borderline Personality Disorder, PTSD, OCD, ADHD) so serious they interfere with my school performance/ability to attend school.
My "Disability"s Impact:
I've missed 11 of the last 17 months of school for mental health reasons (Being hospitalized/being in residential/being too anxious to go to school) I go to a Therapeutic School that is paid for by the state and is able to provide me with much smaller classes, more individual attention, more flexibility in due dates, and more emotional support. My mental health issues make it hard for me to focus for long periods of time, anxious when i have my back to people, anxious when anything related to sex or sexual violence comes up, anxious being alone with males, etc. Those issues sometimes lead to me dissociating or numbing out. I cut and consider suicide. I've gained a ridiculous amount of weight. When I was still in public school I would cry in class sometimes and constantly be in the school counselor's office. I also have frequent mood swings, low self esteem, and trouble keeping friends which can occupy my mind and make it hard to find the motivation to do school work. I used to be a striaght A student who hardly ever missed school. Now i'm barely passing.
How I Cope:
Go to therapy (although my therapist doesn't think I'm improving and I think is going to not see much longer), try to take advantage of my bursts of energy/determination, try to focus on my goals so life seems more meaningful, take medication, try to get out into the sun & take care of myself as much as possible, and when I go out bring lots of little stress relievers with me (clay, journal, mp3 player, colored pencils, hand lotion, book, small stuffed key chain are always in my school bag for example)
I'm going to add another question.
My Outlook On How My Disability Will Affect Me In The Future:
Unsure. I'm nervous about college, because i'm afraid if i go away from home i wont have as much support, and i'm afraid i would fail out if i don't get my life together because I would have so many absences. If i manage to force myself to stay in school, I expect I could graduate from highschool, college, and grad school, pursue my desired perfession, and become a foster parent, as i want to. I expect that I will be depressed much of my life, and that if i get married it would end in bitter divorce, if i manage to not off myself before that point. It's touch and go lately, but i'm trying to hold on to hope.
Megan