Why should you communicate your mental health needs to professors?
College students have many mental health needs, like anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders. Almost three quarters of college are affected by mental illness, and these students are more likely to drop out, miss class, or even to have problems with unemployment later in life.
If you are a college student with mental illness, it might feel overwhelming. However, you can do a lot to support yourself, like eating nutritious foods and getting enough sleep. Meeting with a therapist or taking medication can also help. Another helpful strategy is communicating with your professors about your mental health needs. If they don’t know what you need, they can’t support you.
Mental health disorders have become less stigmatized, but this doesn’t mean that they’re always easy to talk about. Here are some key tips to help you communicate with your professors about your mental health, and support your academic success.
How should you communicate your mental health needs to professors?
Tip #1: Don’t wait until there is a crisis – speak up early!
At the beginning of the school year, students often feel energized and rejuvenated. They start off enjoying classes and settling into routines, but as the school year progresses, things change. Projects pile on. Midterms come – and with them the potential for low grades! Student loans or grants from the beginning of the semester start to run out. This is when stress levels rise – and with them, symptoms from mental health disorders. By the time you realize you need extra support, it might be too late.
Instead, communicate to your professors early on about needs that may or may not come up as the year progresses. Offer them the chance to get to know you, so they can offer support as needed.
Tip #2: Have backup!
All universities should have a disability student services department. If you have a diagnosis like depression, anxiety, or ADHD, you can get accommodations and support through this department. Even if you don’t think you need regular services, having documentation through can help you communicate with professors through a formal process. Disability services departments often have counseling and advising to help support you as well.
Tip #3: Be direct and factual.
Are you someone who writes emails like this?
Hi, Professor! I was wondering if it is at all possible for me to potentially have a small extension for the paper due today? I am having a little bit of a mental health struggle and am thinking that I might need some extra time. Please let me know if you could maybe make this happen for me!
Instead, what if you said something like:
Hi, Professor! My anxiety symptoms have been heightened lately, and I am struggling to get started on our next paper. Is it possible for me to have a two-day extension on the paper due next Monday? Please let me know!
Because it’s so hard to ask for things like extended deadlines or permission to miss class, we often beat around the bush with these requests by saying much more than we need to, or by alluding to needs instead of stating them directly. The more direct and specific you can be in your communication, the easier it will be for your professor to know what you need and see if it’s something they can accommodate.
Tip #4: Weigh the benefits between email and in-person conversations
Although it might feel easier and safer to send an email, having face-to-face conversations with your professors can help them to understand exactly what you’re going through and how they can help. Professors receive emails all of the time from students asking for different support, and they might be inclined to take you more seriously if you speak to them in person.
Tip #5: Understand how professors can and cannot help you – and why
Many colleges and universities are recognizing the huge impact mental health has on student success and are equipping their professors with training and resources to address these needs in their classrooms. Professors have enough training to understand that they have to keep your mental health disclosures confidential, unless you are harming yourself or others. They also understand the accommodations that they can make in their classrooms to support neurodiverse students.
Know that your professors, while they can be trusted confidants, can’t provide you the kind of mental health support that a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist can – but they can certainly connect you with resources like the campus counseling center or crisis hotlines.
Everyone is different – find what works for you!
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing mental illness or communicating your mental health needs – and not every professor will respond in the same way to your requests. But through trial and error, you’ll figure out the best timing, language, and setting in which to communicate to your professors. It’s worth it to take the risk and ask for health – your mental health matters!
