My advisor doesn't understand how much my depression affects my work

[Cecilia1279]

So I'm in grad school. I'm dealing with chronic pain which is making my depression even worse. But my advisor is very much a "stiff upper lip" kind of woman. She sees my issues as excuses as not much more and not valid reasons for why I am struggling to get things done. I know its my responsibility to get things done, but I just wish there was a way for her to understand that most days its a struggle to get out of bed let alone focus intently on work and then when you throw horrible pain into the mix that is like someone is digging a screwdriver into my back its so ****ing difficult to manage these things. I just don't know how to approach it and I don't know how to even begin to explain it to her much less get her to understand how debilitating this is.

[nonperson]

Can you get a letter from your doctor explaining your condition and how it affects you? Maybe your advisor would understand if it came from a medical professional.

[Auror.]

Did you ever get accommodations through Accessibility Resources (or if you've since changed unis, whatever it is called at your current school)? Having accommodations in itself is proof of disability, and the staff in that office can then help you liase with your advisor to figure out options and accommodations that work best without having to divulge specifics about your health.

to add - Another thing that you might need to consider as well, is if your mental and physical health is in a stable enough place for you to handle the stressors and workload required for the degree. If you can't do it at the moment, that's not a bad thing to admit. It maybe means you would just need to look into if going part time is an option, or just taking some time off to get to a more stable place. There's loads of different paths that exist that still have the end result of a graduate degree. It just might mean altering your plans a bit to allow you more stability and health.