Learning break- can anyone advise

[Lindz44]

DD is at her first year at uni and has been struggling with anxiety. It’s getting worse not better. She’s struggling to get to lectures and seminars and I am at a loss. They have been helpful but she still struggling.
she has started CBT but is only a week in and says she wants to start medication too which I am wary of.
she had a meeting with her tutor today who was said that if things haven’t got better they will advise a learning break in three weeks. She is sobbing over the phone but demanding I can’t get involved and I have no idea what this means? She desperately wants to get better and now had three weeks to do so.
do any uni people know what this is and what it means?

DD is growing up, OP. I do know it’s hard and can be heartbreaking but absent an emergency it’s best if she does what she can for herself.

@Ceramiq raises a good point. As the suggestion for a possible break is coming from the university, they aren’t thinking about bums on seats with her. (I agree that too often this is a primary concern). DD together with you and her PT may need to weigh the expertise of the therapist v the expertise of her academic advisers.

Y1 may not count officially but as I said marks are used in other ways. More importantly, not getting a good foundation is often a source of high anxiety down the line as you struggle with the consequences.

I am concerned about DD’s sense of desperation to avoid a break - that is often to do with extraneous considerations rather than a balanced sense of self interest. Without probing into those considerations, which DD may wish to keep private, could you help her to focus on her long term goals?

I agree very much with @poetryandwine : first year needs to go well because it sets the foundation for second and third year. Students do not want to enter second year without a clear understanding of assessment criteria in their institution.

I am not privy to the inner workings of universities but our DC observed that students that did extremely well in first year got all their module choices in second year. The less well a student performed, the less likely they were to get their first choices.

Good points. My DCs unis (mid-tier) didn't look at 1st year results for 2nd year module choice but did for course switches and year abroad.

My own subject (mathematical sciences) very incremental so a bare pass in 1st year makes subsequent years really difficult.

If she has a catchup plan for over the summer then she might be able to convince them that a pause not necessary.

Most university courses in the UK are highly incremental. This is very obvious in STEM but look closely at humanities degrees and the expectations rise slowly and steadily across each semester.

Thank you all so much. You have all been so kind and helpful. It’s a world I am not used to. I used to do ents at a uni but aside from the clubbing side I know nothing I also didn’t go to uni so it’s all new to us.
I have long suspected she has ADHD and I do think that this is part of that.
The cost of this is terrifying me too and I wonder oh that’s why she’s so worried. We’ve had to make huge financial sacrifices for her to go and I think I ( and her ) know this. I’m not sure if she’s allowed to stay in accommodation if she’s paused her studies and it’s not uni owned so we’d still have to pay which makes me very anxious. I haven’t told her that part though.

My DD remained as a student whilst "paused" so no council tax and could access uni library, sports, support services. Students Association might be able to help with additional funding (friend of DD had exhausted her +1 loan money but got funding from estate of a women who had had a few false starts herself).

If they don't make the decision for 3 weeks then how many teaching weeks are left?