PSYCHOLOGICAL DISABILITIES

The term psychological disabilities covers a wide range of conditions and may include (but are not limited to) chronic conditions such as bi-polar disorder (chronic-depressive disorder), personality disorders, psychoneuroses, and psychoses.

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health recently learned that one in five Americans has some form of mental illness in any given six months. With appropriate treatment, the vast majority of psychological disorders are effectively cured or controlled. Treatment, which often combines medications and psychotherapy, can effectively stop acute symptoms in 80% of those living with schizophrenia, end the terror of phobic disorders, and halt the downward spiral in approximately 90% of those living with depressive disorders.

The greatest problems related to providing educational support services to students with a history of mental illness are founded in the misconceptions and stigma about the illness. Media attention to crimes involving persons with a psychiatric history and television dramas depicting persons with mental illness as psychotic killers play on deep, unconscious fears. Isolated and infrequent incidents on campus or in the community help to feed and justify these fears. As a result, other students, faculty and staff may often be reluctant to approach students realistically because of fears that the students are very fragile or could be violent. In reality, people with mental illness do not commit more violent crimes than the rest of the population. Few students with psychological disabilities may react to stress by becoming agitated or even threatening. Faculty who are familiar with this group of students report that incidents of disruptive behavior by an individual student can often be predicted, and therefore, prevented or circumvented.

DEALING WITH DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIORS WHEN THEY OCCUR

Although most students with psychological disabilities rarely draw attention to themselves by behaving disruptively, a few, because their symptoms are more persistent and/or cyclical, may experience periods in which “holding it together” becomes more difficult. Disciplinary issues should not be confused with health issues. All students, including students with psychological disabilities, have the responsibility to meet ABAC’s Student Code of Conduct by adapting behavior to the educational environment. If disruptive behavior persistently occurs or the Student Code of Conduct is violated, the issue should not be defined as a health issue. It should be defined as a disciplinary issue, and a timely referral should be made to the Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services. In any case, if others personal safety is threatened by a student, with or without a disability, call ABAC Police at 391-5060.

Suggested Modifications

Serving students with psychological disabilities on campus is a relatively new phenomenon and with increasing incidence. There have been few court cases to set precedents for reasonable accommodations for persons with psychological disabilities. However, based on existing knowledge and experiences, the following suggestions have been provided:

Assistance with orientation/registration/financial aid forms

Assistance choosing classes and instructors

Extended time for exams/test proctoring

Change of location for exams: non-distraction setting

Note takers, readers, tape recorders

Modifications in seating arrangements

Peer support

Identified, non-threatening place on campus for meeting before or after class

Flexibility in the attendance requirements in case of hospitalization/crisis

Incomplete or late medical withdrawals rather than failures in the event of prolonged illness related absences

Time management and study skills assistance

Educators are especially helpful to students with psychological disabilities when they help the student identify and explain his or her own functional classroom limitations, such as difficulty with oral presentations (e.g., a psychiatrically diagnosed panic disorder), or the need to accommodate side effects of medications (e.g. thirst, itching, agitation, frequent trips to the bathroom, etc.).