Managing psychosis and university life
Having a psychotic illness does not mean that you cannot successfully study at university. It does, however mean that you will face some additional challenges that we can help you to manage.
Anxiety
We know that anxiety and stress increase the frequency and intensity of psychotic episodes. University can be a stressful experience and it is important to do all that you can to reduce your anxiety.
You can find some advice and guidance on reducing anxiety and improving your relaxation and sleep here.
In addition to this advice, it may be useful for you to plan additional breaks into your day. During longer lectures you may need to take a short break outside the classroom. We can help you to organise these breaks when we discuss your support plan with you.During times of high stress you may wish to speak to one of our counsellors to help you manage your anxiety.
Medication
Some medications can have side effects that can make studying more difficult - particularly first thing in the morning. It is important that you do not try to reduce your medication yourself or stop taking it. This will only lead to you becoming ill which will impact even more negatively on your academic work.
If you are concerned about the impact of your medication you should discuss this with your GP.
We can also allow for the impact of your medication within your support plan. For instance, we have previously arranged for students to sit all their exams in the afternoon, if their medication makes it difficult for them to concentrate in the morning.
Rethink provide information on the types of medication commonly prescribed for psychotic illnesses. You may find it useful to read this - you can find it here.
Taking care of your health
Managing your physical wellbeing will help you to manage your mental health. Eating well, exercising and sleeping well will all help you to feel physically and mentally better. You can find advice and guidance on managing your wellbeing here.
Talking to others
The Hearing Voices Network provide opportunities for you to share your experiences with other people who experience psychosis. You can find their website here.
It is up to you whether or not you tell your friends at university about your experiences. Some people can react negatively to such information - this reaction is usually borne out of fear and ignorance. You can help to reduce this possibility by giving your friends some good information about psychosis and explaining to them how it affects you.Mind provide easy to read information and guidance which you can find here.
It is important for everyone to have people around that they can talk to and trust. If you are having difficulty making friends make an appointment to discuss this with a counsellor or with one of the Student Wellbeing Team. Alternatively you may wish to read some of the suggestions we provide here.
Support
Experience has shown that making full use of the support on offer will improve the chances of you completing your course successfully. You can find out about the types of support we offer and how to access this support here.
