Mistakes Were Made: My Experience of Adult ADHD by Brian Spurlock

In late 2011, I was woken from a deep sleep by a call letting me know the lab where I was doing undergraduate research in organic chemistry had flooded. I rushed to campus along with two or three graduate students and through our combined efforts, the mess was cleaned up and the damage mitigated. 

Unfortunately, this isn’t the whole truth. 

To be specific: One night during my junior year at Ole Miss, my mentor called me to let me know that I flooded his lab, and, still half asleep and in pajama bottoms, I ran to campus and helped three exhausted people who hadn’t flooded the lab fix my colossal fuckup.

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Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder and Academic Research – An Incompatible Pairing? by Dr Jenny Lange

TW: Eating disorder; suicidal ideation

Since I started my journey in academia, completing a BSc in Psychology in 2008, increasing focus has been placed on wellbeing and raising awareness of mental health conditions in students and academic staff. Unfortunately, that usually focuses on common mental health conditions deemed more ‘palatable’, and rarely provides additional support to those entering academia with a pre-existing mental health condition. Employee Assistance Programmes typically offer limited counselling, that is barely sufficient for providing the minimum support for struggling students or staff.

But before I go off on my favourite rant about how ‘wellness walks’ for mental health awareness week are extremely ineffective in raising awareness or reducing stigma, I should mention that I have been diagnosed with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, EUPD, formerly known as Borderline Personality disorder. After years of never quite fitting a diagnosis, this almost came as a relief but in a sense was also overwhelming. Given I am already trying to navigate a notoriously challenging career field, to be told now there’s something inherently wrong with me and my personality? This was a blow, and in a way felt like it was my fault rather than a consequence of the trauma I experienced.

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Challenges as a First-Generation Student: Studying Abroad by L. América Chi

Imagine winning a Ferrari in a lottery—sounds thrilling, right? The rules are that you cannot sell it or transfer it. Once you are over the joy of winning it, a small predicament arises, as  you find yourself unable to afford the exorbitant expenses associated with maintaining such a luxurious vehicle. Adding to the challenge, you lack the knowledge and experience required to operate it, and no one in your small town possesses this expertise either, thus requiring you to relocate to effectively leverage it. Then there’s your friends, family, and local community who do not really understand why you might want the Ferrari in the first place.  

Then, let’s envision a scenario where you relocate to a distant city where residents are accustomed to utilizing such vehicles. In this new environment, people are so familiar with these cars that they struggle to comprehend why you find it challenging to adapt. Meanwhile, individuals from your hometown fail to understand your decision to leave, perplexed by your pursuit of learning. The individuals who donated the Ferrari and were present for the photo on the day you won have all but vanished. So yes, you won a Ferrari, but in reality, it hasn’t brought you happiness necessarily. You can hardly make use of it, unable to share it with your family, and you find no joy in owning it. Furthermore, the burden of maintaining it has plunged you into significant debt, affecting your mental health. 

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