Question:
I have just recently been diagnosed with
Rapid-cycling bipolar I disorder. I just went through my first year of
college, and unfortunately failed almost all of my classes, and lost my
scholarship in the process. I seem to be responding well to a combination
of Wellbutrin and Zyprexa, and I would like to try the school thing again.
My big problem is that I don't have any money! Are there any grants,
scholarships, or loans out there for people diagnosed with BP?
Answer:
Two things you need to find out:
1. contact the school's financial office you want to attend--they will
have all the grants and scholarships available to you.
2. contact the schools disabled students office--they will help you
STAY in school and find accommodations if you need them.
You could also register under disability status which offers you
protection if you get ill during your studies. It all depends on where
you are from.
Just a suggestion. I failed at my first attempt at college, although
it was not due to bipolarity. After a brief hiatus, I started again
at a local community college, taking general education and intro level
classes that were transferable to higher institutions. It was a lower
stress way of getting an education, much cheaper than state colleges,
and the class sizes were smaller, which meant I could get better
instruction. I tell my friends with college age kids to consider
sending them to a local college for a year or two before sending them
off to the bigger universities, which are more focused on upper
division students.
Community colleges often have scholarship assistance (and are MUCH
cheaper), their counselors are used to dealing with "returning"
students and students with special needs, and the stress level would
be better suited to someone who has just been diagnosed as bipolar and
needs to learn to adapt to that condition (believe me - there is no
such thing as a stress free education, but at least at junior colleges
you can get help dealing with the stress - at the larger colleges
freshmen are just a cog in the machine). Think laterally.
