Testimonial #3

“I have mental health problems. In my first term as an undergraduate, support from the Disabled Students’ Allowance hadn’t arrived, which meant I wasn’t able to keep up with my work. I was having difficulty attending lectures and seminars and felt I was falling behind. They helped calm me down, reassured me, and helped to organise the support that I needed. I got exactly what I needed to be able to carry on.
The second time I saw them was because I was suffering from severe depression and anxiety. I had assessments coming up and was trying to care for a friend of mine who was suicidal, and I wasn’t coping. I was able to see a student advisor immediately which was vital. For students with mental health problems like me, they can feel as if they are over-reacting to quite severe problems, as if they should buck up and cope with it themselves. If there hadn’t been anyone there to talk to, I would become swamped with my problems and become far more ill. They helped me, they helped my friend and they are the first place I recommend when fellow students have problems or difficulties.
One of the reasons I came to Sussex was the excellent widespread support of mental health problems. I suffered a mental breakdown several years ago, and without the help available from the support services all over Sussex, I wouldn’t be at university today.”