Boarding School Syndrome

Boarding school syndrome refers to a wide range of symptoms that individuals develop during their time at a boarding school. These issues commonly include workaholism, parenting and relationship problems, substance misuse, difficulty relaxing, drug dependence, sleep issues, a fear of inadequacy, and more. Most of these problems are due to social advantage, neglect, and being transferred from a loving home to a school where abuse and bullying are common.

Without recognising boarding school survivors’ symptoms, it is impossible to reverse the impact of what children and adolescents learn in the hot-house pressure of a boarding school. To confirm if you or a loved one are suffering from this mental health issue, answer the following questions:

• Are you concerned about the difficulties you face with emotional closeness?
• Do you find it hard to unwind?
• Do you consider yourself a control freak?
• Have you faced trouble finding things to do during downtime?
• Do you perform well in finances and career but struggle with emotional regulation?
• Do you ever feel like a loser or worry about being perceived as a loser?
• Are you scared of becoming unlovable?
• Do you often avoid your partner in an intimate relationship?
• Have you ever felt disconnected from your own needs?
• Do you prefer working late than spending time with your loved one?
• Do you ever feel alone even when there are many people around you?
• Do you ever consider that you are not genuinely joyous or happy in life?
• Do others around you treat you like a bully?
• Are you facing difficulties in raising a child?
• Have you ever battled an addiction?
• Do you struggle with sleep or sexual issues?
• Do you fear being exposed as an imposter or a con artist?
• Do you quickly become stressed?
• Can you offer financial support to your family but are not with them emotionally?
• Do you tend to avoid conflicts in your relationship, especially when things are not going well?
• Do your partners often describe you as cold or hot in a relationship?
• Do you care for your loved ones but struggle to look after yourself?

If you have answered yes to most of the questions described above, you might be suffering from boarding school syndrome. So what’s next?

First and foremost, you must understand that you are not alone in this situation, and many ex-boarders reports facing difficulties in the areas mentioned above. Secondly, multiple conventional and non-conventional therapies are readily available all across the UK to help overcome this issue.