Hello, I'm Sarah and I'm 17 years old and in year 12. I've had anxiety and depression ever since I can remember. Today I will only talk about anxiety.
My anxiety started to interfere with my schooling significantly in year 8, 9 and 10. Over those years (and still now) I have seen a psychologist and taken medication but I also took a lot of time off school. I just couldn't go, not even to see my friends. I should also mention I get really bad migraines quite often which also doesn't help school attendance, and that works as an interrelationship - e.g. if I have a migraine over 5 days, I miss those days at school which makes me too anxious to go back because of all that I've missed.
By year 11 I was feeling better at school and it may have been because of the new school environment or just the fact that I realised that year 11 didn't mean anything. However when 2018 came around I started year 12... I went to classes for 4 weeks, I was already so behind in the work and SACs were in the next week, and then I got glandular fever which lasted a few weeks, and when I was better I couldn't come back. I haven't been back to school since. Term 2 starts tomorrow and I don't know what to do, I don't want to go back, I can't. Everyone will ask where I've been and I will have missed so many SACs. I've been avoiding thinking about school and talking about it because my heart rate elevates and I panic and cry. I don't have a job either because of how anxious I am.
Do I drop out of school? Do I do year 12 next year instead? Is year 12 really that beneficial? What do i do?
I need help, please.
