dropping out of high school advice
hi, im in my final year of high school (aus) and im considering dropping out for my own sanity.
some context
a year ago, I was diagnosed with ASD level 2, anxiety, and anorexia. i ended up switching to online school. my overall mental and physical health is horrid and i struggle to get out of bed and focus. i experienced a period of heavy antidepressant withdrawal and am now left dependent on meds and i feel like a zombie. i am seeing a therapist to help with ASD burnout though! my parents are fully supportive, including financial support, of me, something that makes me very privileged and grateful. i do have a part time job option through someone i know, which ive declined at the moment since i can barely function with everything piling up.
what i need advice on
i obviously know dropping out isn't ideal, and if i want to ever go to uni in the future i'll need to do bridging courses, which will take longer. still, i feel living in constant stress at the moment is very detrimental to me when i should be focusing on recovery. i don't see myself being ready for uni for at least a few years anyway. i do have a passion for learning and aspire to have a career in allied health. i don't mind going the unconventional way but at the same time i could try to push through the rest of the year. i feel stressed that dropping out will ruin the rest of my life or that ill be a complete failure with no hope of ever getting a respectable career.
i've heard a lot of people against dropping out but i guess i just want advice on my specific situation. there is another option where i can complete high school without the exams, resulting in me getting an 'unscored' result. from what i know, there are a few specific bridging courses which i could do; which also seem more doable in the coming years as it's less demand. it seems a lot less stressful BUT from my research its heavily frowned upon (aka its way easier to get straight into uni by failing the 'scored' way with exams than passing the 'unscored' way)
im very tired while writing this, so im sorry if there are typos or if things don't make sense
Posted Aug 4, 2026, 9:01 AM UTC