Psychiatric Disorders

Students requesting accommodations on the basis of a psychiatric disorder must provide current documentation from a qualified professional who is not related to the student. Professionals conducting assessments and rendering diagnoses of psychiatric disorders must have training in differential diagnosis and the full range of psychiatric conditions.

Documentation for students requesting accommodations on the basis of a psychiatric disability should include the following:

• A recent evaluation or updated assessment, within the past year – due to the changing nature of psychiatric disorders. Documentation must be updated yearly for continuation of accommodations.
• A description of the presenting problem(s) and the treatment plan.
• A specific, current psychiatric diagnosis as per the Manual-IVTR (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association, which indicates the nature, frequency and severity of the symptoms upon which the diagnosis was predicated.
• Prescribed medications, dosages and schedules that may influence the learning environment and types of accommodations, including any possible side effects.  An indication of whether or not the student was evaluated while on medication, and whether or not the prescribed treatment produced a positive response.
• An integrated summary that indicates the substantial limitations to major life activities posed by the psychiatric disability, describes the extent to which these limitations would impact the academic context for which accommodations are being requested, suggests how the specific effects of the psychiatric disorder may be accommodated specific to a collegiate setting, and states how the effects of the psychiatric disorder are mediated by the recommended accommodations.