Each year, around 100 Washington University students choose to take a medical leave of absence for mental health reasons, according to Tom Brounk, director of Mental Health Services at Student Health Services.

These medical leaves of absences allow students to seek proper treatment without the additional stress of an academic environment.

Students seeking to apply for a medical leave of absence must first make an appointment with Brounk so that he can evaluate if a leave of absence is appropriate.

“They’re not really determining if you should [take a leave of absence]; they’re determining whether you’re eligible medically to qualify,” Assistant Dean for the College of Arts & Sciences Sean McWilliams said.

According to Brounk, students seeking a medical leave of absence have often already been in contact with Student Health Services, and he reviews students’ information before their appointments so the conversations can be more efficient.

“I will ask the student to summarize very briefly why they think that time off would be helpful to them and help me understand what’s going on right now that’s negatively impacting their ability to function as a student. It’s pretty simple,” Brounk said.

After that initial evaluation, Brounk will make a recommendation to the school in which the student is enrolled. A dean at the school will take this recommendation into consideration and meet with the student to discuss the terms of a medical leave. These terms include, but are not limited to: student status, tuition, financial aid, access to campus and health insurance.

If students’ requests to take a leave are approved, they then agree to commit to a treatment process and devote time to another responsibility.

“That can include a number of things,” Brounk said. “It could be taking coursework at another institution, a volunteer experience; they could work part time, or they could do some sort of internship. Basically, what the University is looking for there is that the student has been able to undertake some sort of responsibility [and] meet those requirements successfully, while also simultaneously taking care of their mental health and well-being.”

According to junior Radhika Krishna, who has completed a medical leave of absence in the past, this process is simple.

“Medical leave is really, really easy to take; they make the process very streamlined,” Krishna said.

However, she admitted that reinstatement as a student is trickier.

“I’ve heard about other students not getting reinstated because the University deems them not ready to come back, [even] when things at home might be a bit more toxic to their mental health than being at school, and they would be fine being at school and doing work. If the University deems them unsuitable for the academic rigor, then they have that kind of power to reject you. I think that’s kind of unfair,” Krishna said.

When students on medical leave wishes to be reinstated, they must submit a Health Evaluation form, which is filled out by the student and their health provider who has been treating them. Additionally, Brounk says that the school asks students to write a personal statement that answers questions, such as: “Why do you think now is the right time to return?” “Why do you think you’re ready?” and “What is your plan for moving forward?”

“For all students, the mental health information that’s being submitted by the off-campus providers is being reviewed by myself or our associate director. We take a look at the personal statement,[and] any other information the student submits,” Brounk said.

Brounk then calls the student to have a conversation about support networks and ask any remaining questions.

“And then, at that point, we really have enough information to make a recommendation to the school. Our whole role in this process is to make recommendations. We don’t actually make decisions. It’s the school that makes the decision,” Brounk said.

In its decision, the school considers the personal statement, the recommendation from Student Health Services and any other relevant information, such as the academic work or job the student engaged in during their leave.

Brounk noted that most students who take a leave of absence return and finish successfully.

“The great majority of students report that they maybe had a lot of angst about it. But they report on the backhand that they’re glad that they took the time,” Brounk said.

McWilliams believes that the social de-stigmatization of medical leaves of absences contributes to the success of the program.

“There’s broad acceptance that taking a medical leave is generally OK. There will be different degrees of concern that parents or families may have about what a medical leave means, but there is an astonishing amount of acceptance of its value,” McWilliams said. “I have not, in my experience, had to help a student with an employer to explain away a medical leave of absence or anything like that. So, my sense is that, at least in the American labor market, medical leaves of absence are reasonably well-accepted.”

Brounk agreed that students considering a leave of absence should not worry about the societal response.

“Life can throw you a lot of curveballs [and] a lot of challenges. And what’s going to be most important is that just because that is happening and someone becomes depressed or anxious doesn’t mean they can’t still be successful or achieve their dreams,” Brounk said. “But sometimes to move forward, you have to take a step back. And there’s no shame in doing that.”