"You don't look sick": Student with doctor's note forced to write exam because his condition wasn't a physical illness

[ScarletWhimsy]

 

A University of Toronto student claims a doctor’s note was not enough to miss an exam, and that it highlights a larger issue of access to mental health facilities on campus.

 

Joshua Grondin says he was enrolled in lecturer Sean Uppal’s Maths 223 course and had an average in the mid-70s. The night before his April 18 exam, he had two anxiety attacks. The morning of the exam, he saw an on-campus doctor and obtained a note.

 

When he presented the note to Uppal, Grondin said the lecturer told him, “You don’t look sick.â€

“The doctor’s office and [uppal’s] office are in the same building,†Grondin told CityNews, but he said Uppal wouldn’t accept the note. “He told me, since it wasn’t a physical illness, I could physically be present in the room.†He said he was told he could either take a zero in the exam, or write it. Grondin chose to write it, scored 23 per cent, and ultimately, withdrew from the course.

 

University spokesperson Althea Blackburn-Evans said Uppal would not be available for an interview.

However, Blackburn-Evans said, “I can confirm that there has been no case in this course where a student presented a note prior to an exam and was made to write it.â€

 

When asked if the student would have been given the option of taking a zero or writing the exam, Blackburn-Evans said the school could not discuss details about specific students or cases.

Grondin said other professors have been more understanding, but he has run into other problems at the school.

 

“I’ve tried to make doctor’s appointments on campus. I’ve had some doctors cancel on me. Others, there’s a two-month waitlist,†Grondin said. Blackburn-Evans said wait times do vary, but could not confirm the length of the waitlist.

 

Sarah Jenkins, a 19-year-old Ryerson student, told Hunt that “unless you’re suicidal … you’re not top of the waitlist. You’re not going to see anybody for months at a time.†Jenkins had an even longer wait than Grondin: she had to wait four months. Both Jenkins and Grondin said that while universities advertise their mental health services around campus, there simply aren’t enough doctors to meet student needs.

 

That’s the reason why Grondin tweeted about his experience. “I went public with it because I’m sick of seeing the way students are affected by all of this,†Grondin said. “I know two people who committed suicide because of school stress, and several others who have tried … I’ve tried to access services, and they gave me a bunch of pamphlets about how yoga and meditation can help,†he continued.

 

Students are paying for mental and physical health services with their student fees and Grondin said the help is only there for students with physical injuries. “When it comes to dealing with mental illness, they pass you off from one person to the next.â€

 

cr.

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There's something terribly wrong here. U of T, you better deal with this properly.

[Only 1 U Need Connoisseur]

Messy.. wtf. 

[jhope is your hope]

wtf?

[My Everything]

as a person that has to deal with mental illness everyday this is disgusting

[semisomniac]

god, that's AWFUL

[My Everything]

wtf?

 

off topic but who is this 

[Geeminy]

.awful.

[Charmy]

"You don't look sick"

 

Hoe what part of mental illness do you not understand? It's so frustrating that mental illness isn't taken seriously unless you're suicidal or homicidal.

[coreofsoul]

I can't believe people still think this way. That has to be so frustrating. 

Shows that not all professors are as openminded or smart as we like to think. 

 

off topic but who is this 

Dean!

[My Everything]

I can't believe people still think this way. That has to be so frustrating. 

Shows that not all professors are as openminded or smart as we like to think. 

 

Dean!

 

from?

[tya]

"You don't look sick" excuses used by teachers irritated me. Who are they to determine whether a person is sick or not when they're not even a doctor in the first place?

[Sailor Mars]

that's disgusting. he should be fired and she should get extra money for classes and such. teachers need to realize that they arent doctors

[Rapmon's Ahjussi Husband]

"You don't look sick"

 

- proceeds to go mental inside the classroom  -

[coreofsoul]

 

from?

He's a solo artist. 

If you mean where is that clip from, idk

[buffybubbles]

it's so common honestly, people think mental illness is something you can just 'suck up' and don't realize it's as legit a medical condition as anything else and can even manifest itself in real awful physical symptoms as well

[zeppeki-i]

i've never met uppal but it's too bad that he's the coordinator of the course. the other professors (esp bazett...lol not like anyone knows but idk i just had to mention him) are pretty understanding and probably would've handled it better. but it's true though, uoft really doesn't care about mental health and it's a nightmare tbh. 

 

edit: i just realized i've never posted on this site...lol. 

[zura]

its 2016 and ppl think that mental illness isnt that serious

[ScarletWhimsy]

i've never met uppal but it's too bad that he's the coordinator of the course. the other professors (esp bazett...lol not like anyone knows but idk i just had to mention him) are pretty understanding and probably would've handled it better. but it's true though, uoft really doesn't care about mental health and it's a nightmare tbh. 

So true. I'm not a math student so I'm not familiar with those profs, but I agree it should've been handled better. Some people mention that profs are also dealing with fakers, but no matter what, a doctor's note isn't something for them to evaluate and turn away

[sakurahanabira]

:/

 

just because he wasn't physically sick, does not mean he "doesn't look sick." Not all sickness can be seen on the outside.  

[Shalnark]

Why does the teacher think he can contradict what a doctor said regarding the health of one of his students?.

[Smiley Panda]

I am disgusted... Who are they to judge whether someone is mentally unwell or not, when they have a doctor's note to prove it?

And I hope more doctors will be available because from what it sounds like, those wait lists are ridiculous.

[Jjang~]

I guess without bleeding wounds you will not pass as someone who's sick and need medical attention there.

 

Disgustingly more mentally ill than Grondin.

[Turn the Clocks]

I've seen my friend treated in a similar way at university. In the end she withdrew from her course too because the additional stress caused by it worsened her condition.

I've had milder issues too, not with mental health but with invisible physical health problems being treated like they don't exist or matter. I won't go into it, because I could go on a tirade about how our government treats disabled people.

Just because you look well doesn't mean you are, you dumb shits. 

I hate that people still think like this even nowadays. Gain some perspective.

[Your Juan and only]

it really depends on the professor tbh, I've had really only one professor who refused a doctor's note and didn't except my excused absent note when my grandma died, I went straight to the dean and he sent the email. 

[Big Stupid Jellyfish]

I have diagnosed conditions and I have also been told to suck it up before. Pretty ridiculous honestly.