Diagnostic

and
Statistical
Manual of
Mental
Disorders

DSM VI
Authored by: ___________________

DSM VI: SENIORITIS

DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES
Senioritis is a mood disorder that takes
over the lives of various high school
seniors. Usually the symptoms that one
has Senioritis tend to show more in the
second semester instead of the first
semester. High school seniors are on top
of things in the first semester; occupied
with college apps, ensuring everything is
in order, they appear to be on top of
things and work efficiently. However,
once second semester comes around,
things begin to drastically change for the
worse. Most students are incapable of
escaping this disorder that can hinder
ones chances of graduating, as well as
getting into college. It is easy to catch, and very hard to get rid of. Countless seniors have lost
their acceptances into their colleges of choice due to the effects of having Senioritis. By the end
of second semester, a lot of seniors have grades that fail to meet the standards of various
colleges who accepted them, a dire consequence of one of the various symptoms of Senioritis.
The disorder can warp ones brain into becoming indifferent and uncaring towards their
academic life. Second semester is the time when college acceptance letters and emails begin.
Due to Senioritis, many students believe that once they get accepted into college, they can
simply sit back and relax. That they no longer have to trouble themselves over high school work,
a mere costly side effect of the various symptoms.
A person with Senioritis will display various symptoms. The most common is laziness; they
become discouraged from wanting to accomplish easy tasks such as schoolwork. That tendency
can even leak into their home life, preventing them from completing homework as well.
Accompanying that symptom of severe laziness is also the I dont care attitude. Most seniors
are very aware of exactly what they have to do and what they have to accomplish. However,
due to Senioritis, they frankly do not care about the consequences that will be the result of not
completing their school duties. When a test, exam, quiz, etc. comes along, a senior with
Senioritis will not study. They will either be to lazy to bring themselves to study, not care about
studying and not being worried about failing, or even both. Another symptom is continuously
being absent from school. The students sometimes have the disorder so bad that they cannot
even bring themselves to even go to school to not do the schoolwork. Getting to school
becomes something that is extremely difficult to do, and the simple fix for that is to just be
absent all the time. They dismiss every warning about the repercussions of not passing a class,
graduating, and, in some severe cases, not making it to college.

ASSOCIATED DISORDERS
Senioritis is already a dangerous disorder on its own, however, there are various disorders that
can accompany it.
Anxiety: One might become anxious when thinking about going to school. Their heart rate
drastically increases, their breathing is irregular, and they just cannot handle the mere thought
of having to attend school the next day or that morning.
Bipolar Disorder: Also know as manic depression, it is a disorder
in which a person will display high energy levels, excessive
moodiness, excessive irritability, and impulsive behavior. A person
with Senioritis can experience various emotions throughout the
school day, when thinking about school, discussing school, and
practically anything related to school. They can become easily
upset when being asked why they failed to do their homework or
as to why they got a poor score on their recent test. Another
minute they can be completely indifferent or depressed when
discussing school matters. Feelings of intense anger and hatred
when thinking of school or teachers, and so on.
Depression: Feeling as if nothing matters, becoming uninterested in things that you once
enjoyed, and not being able to find a reason to accomplish tasks despite knowing you should.
Passive Aggressive Behavior: This disorder is classified as an indirect expression of hostility. The
hostile behavior can been observed through procrastination (a common trait of those with
Senioritis), sarcasm (especially when asked if they studied or finished their homework),
resentment (resenting the fact that they are in school), sullenness (being irritated in school
and/or being in a moody state), and deliberate failure of accomplishing tasks that were
requested by their teachers.
Sluggish Cognitive Tempo: A disorder the closely relates to
laziness, just a bit more severe. A person with this disorder find it
difficult to not daydream throughout the day, are continuously
tired throughout the day but is getting a decent amount of sleep,
struggle to stay awake or pay attention to tasks, and also display a
slower mental processing time when compared to others. A person
with Senioritis displays this when getting up in the morning to go to
school, finding it extremely difficult to separate themselves from
their bed, and also struggling to stay awake in class. Daydreaming
all day at school because they are incapable of focusing on the task
at hand, school.

WHO IT AFFECTS
Senioritis is a disorder that affects high school
teenagers ranging from age seventeen through age
nineteen. In some cases, a year or two earlier as well,
but essentially the time when one finds themselves in
their senior year of high school, especially in the
second semester of their senior year. People in
Western cultures, the U.S., and Canada are the
cultures with the highest rate of people who has this
disorder. There is currently limited amount of research
and evidence as to whether or not other cultures
around the world are affected by this disorder as well.
Both males and females are vulnerable to this disorder
and can easily find themselves having it. Typically, the males tend to make it more known that
they have it. They actively and externally express their symptoms. Females typically keep it
bottled in more and are more successful at hiding it. As awareness for this disorder is steadily
increasing, it is considered, as something that people know exists. Parents, students, and
teachers are aware of the chances of people getting it once they become seniors, especially in
the second semester.

PREVALENCE
The results of various studies vary to some degree, but it has been proven that both males and
females are affected. It affects about 84% of high school seniors.

CRITERIA
One can only be diagnosed with Senioritis if they embody at least three of these symptoms
for more than one month, especially in the second semester of their senior year:
-Laziness
-Hostility towards teachers
-"I don't care" Attitude
-Procrastination
-Lack of motivation
-Indifference towards consequences
However, these symptoms are common amongst many groups of people already. The specifics
that go along with Senioritis must meet more than one of these symptoms in one's high school
senior year, or even in their college senior year as well.

COURSE
Senioritis usually begins to show in a high school seniors second semester. The thought of
school becomes unbearable; completing school related tasks becomes less and less important.
Senioritis can go away. The only known cure is graduation. For some, graduation does not
necessarily work. However, once in college, the shock of the responsibility it takes to last in
college is enough to cure one of Senioritis. They soon begin to get back on track and actually
complete tasks. However, it is very common for it to show up a second time in a persons life.
The second time is usually when the person is a senior in college.
In some rare cases, the symptoms can show in a seniors first semester instead of their
second. Also, in even more rare cases, the junior to this disorder appears in ones junior year.
That disorder is known as Junioritis. The symptoms are very much the same as with Senioritis, it
just shows in the junior year.

HOW LONG IT LASTS

The symptoms for Senioritis is not as intense in the first semester as it is in
the second semester. Seniors are perfectly aware that they are nearing
the end of their journey in high school and will soon become college
students. The first semester of senior year is a pivotal time in a high school
students career because of college applications. Most seniors are very on
top of things and can keep up with their schoolwork. Some people already
begin to show laziness with their schoolwork, and sometimes even with
their college applications. The need for completing homework and
projects becomes less and less important, and many students begin to
procrastinate. The stress of college applications and recommendation
letters for the college applications can easily become overwhelming and can frustrate some
people. The frustration can lead to not wanting to do it, and not caring. The early state of
Senioritis.
Once second semester begins, seniors are back from Winter Break and no longer have to
worry about completing college applications. Colleges begin to send out acceptance letters and
emails during the second semester and a lot of students feel that once they get into their
college, their work is done. They slowly get lazier and lazier. When at home, they cannot muster
up the strength to open a textbook and complete their homework. Within a month of second
semester, it is safe to diagnose one with Senioritis.
In some rare occasions, high school students in the previous year, Junior year, may have
suffered from Junioritis. Junior year is also a very important year in ones high school career. It is
a year where the majority of students find themselves having rigorous academic schedules, and
it is a supporting block for their chances of getting into college. However, despite this
knowledge, some people cannot find a reason to care about their schoolwork. They have no will,
they are too lazy to finish or do their work, and they start questioning if there is a point in
finishing their schoolwork in the first place. Those who were victims of Junioritis will more than
likely also suffer from Senioritis in the following school year. In most cases the diagnosis for
having Senioritis is given in the students first semester compared to having it in the second
semester.

SPECIFIC SYMPTOMS
Laziness: The student displays an I dont care attitude. This attitude fuels their laziness by
causing them to be indifferent about applying
themselves in their homework and school in general.
This laziness can leak out into other aspects of their life
as well. They are not only lazy about finishing their
homework, but they also become lazy about exercise
and life in general. The student becomes a being that is
absorbed into the terrifying world of the Internet and
cannot tear themselves away from such social media cites as Twitter, Tumblr, and sometimes,
even FaceBook.
Lack of Studying: The senior will no longer attempt to even try in school. They will have an
upcoming test or exam and will not care to study for it. This could also
be a side affect of laziness because it can cause the student to be too
lazy to even attempt to study. The thought of not getting a good grade
on the test does not bother them in the slightest, they simply do not
care and are indifferent about this possibility of not getting a good
grade on the test, which can affect their overall grade for the class.
Repeated Absences: One of the main causes for Senioritis is, well, school. School is considered
to be the enemy, the last place a senior would want to be. The senior will do anything in their
power, and give any excuse to not go to school. Those with repeated absences could very well
have the disorder. With school being the main cause of their disorder, a simple fix would be to
not go, thus creating the never-ending list of all their absences.
I dont care Attitude: Another common symptom of senioritis is the I dont care attitude.
The student becomes so lazy about doing their work, not wanting to study for tests, probably
being in danger of not passing a class, but they simply do not care. The disorder has warped
their brains into thinking and believing that there will be no consequences for their laziness,
when there most certainly will be. There are virtually no amount of warnings that can get
though to them that their lack of studying and severe procrastination will have repercussions.
Hostile Attitude Towards Teachers: For seniors afflicted with Senioritis, the only reason they go
to school is to be amongst their peers. The only reason why they go to school, if they can muster
up the strength to even get there, is because they have to. However, once in a classroom, they
have a very resentful, hateful perception of their teachers. The teachers are the reason why
they have homework, projects, and classwork. School and teachers become the enemy and
those with Senioritis lose their respect for both.
Indifferent Towards Consequences: Due to the uncaring attitude, another
common symptom is being indifferent towards consequences. Students
are too lazy and do not care about homework and schoolwork, even
though they know there will be consequences. Whether immediate ones,
such as getting detention from a teacher, or more long term such as
receiving a bad grade, not graduating, and even getting their college
acceptance letter revoked.

SUBTYPES
Subtypes of Senioritis include the following:
Do-It-Tomorrowitis: The victim will have severe procrastination and will find any excuse under
the sun to put off their homework for a later time. These people do not have a severe case of
Senioritis because they at least attempt to try to do what is assigned to them.
Killmenowitis: The senior will find many things throughout the day to be
intensely boring and unbearable. Their boredom will reach such alarming
heights that they can crash to their desk, asleep, or even make gestures of
shooting themselves, hanging themselves, ect. while the teacher's
attention is focused elsewhere.
Senior Ditch Day Everydayitis: The senior will find it increasingly
challenging to actually attend school. They often ditch, whether going
somewhere to do something they want to do, or simply staying at home
to get in some extra beauty rest. This can often cause them to miss
consecutive days, or just frequently missing school.
Turn-upitis: The victim of the disorder will have no difficulty in
seeking party-like atmospheres. Will easily venture and be drawn to
what is considered to be a fun atmosphere and seek pleasure fulfilling
activities instead of focusing on schoolwork.
You're-not-my-momitis: The victim becomes very rebellious, which is evident through their
refusal to do work and assignments. They feel that the teacher no longer has power over them.
Anything the teacher says or does ignites rage in the victim and they feel that since the teacher
is not their parent that they do not really have to listen to what they say nor do what they ask.

CASE STUDY
PSY CHO-LOGY
Psy Cho-Logy is a seventeen year old male. He is currently a senior at University High School
and was a straight A student. Last year, during Psy's first semester, he was on top of things as
usual. He got all A's in his Honors and AP classes, he turned in all his college applications early,
and he was looking forward to continuing his life outside of these high school hallways.
However, everything changed once he came back from Winter Break. After four long years of
high school, and with finals and college applications done, Psy needed Winter Break. He was
free to do whatever he wanted and did not have to worry about school. Once break ended, he
desperately wished it hadn't. He soon became lazy with his schoolwork. He would finish his
homework, but it would not be up to his usual standards of perfection. He would put off his
homework later and later, begin projects closer and closer to the due date. It did not take long
for him to stop trying altogether, and frankly, he did not even care. He stopped studying for his
tests, he began lashing out at his teachers when they would question what happened to their
superstar student, and he soon began ditching school, only to stay at home and doing virtually
nothing. He would lunge around the house in sweatpants, spend hours upon hours on Tumblr.
His grades fell and he did not care. He quickly got acceptance letters from his top colleges and
that only intensified the degree of his symptoms. Those symptoms of having...Senioritis.
INTERVIEW
Me: Did you know about Senioritis before you yourself actually became a senior?
Psy: Yes, I did know about it. I just assumed it was the seniors' excuse as to why they would
never do anything.
Me: Did you ever think you would become a victim of this disorder?
Psy: I was a straight A student, of course I didn't think it would get me.
Me: You said "was a straight A student," what do your grades look like now?
Psy: They look like s*** to be honest.
Me: Does that bother you?
Psy: Nah, I could care less actually.
Me: You are not at all worried about college or graduating?
Psy: I already got into college, I'm good.
Me: Do you have any friends that also have the disorder?
Psy: I have no idea, I haven't been in school much lately and when I am I'm totally spaced out. I
don't pay attention to much that goes on there anymore. School is a waste of time.
Me: Ok, one more question. How would you describe Senioritis in your own words?
Psy: It is a disease. It takes over your life even when you think you would be safe from it. I don't
even know who I am anymore. I'm lazy, I'm a slacker, my grades are horrible, I don't talk to my
friends anymore. It's like you're a mime that's stuck in a box, but you have no fight in you to
actually try getting out of that box.

PATIENT
1.) Age seventeen/ Male/ Does not have a job
2.) Does not interact much with friends or family. Mostly stays to himself, very quiet and
reserved. Very uncharacteristic of how he was before he was diagnosed.
3.) After assessing the answers Psy gave on the Mental Health Quality of Life Scale, it revealed
that he has an alarming amount of self-reported physical health problems. He has difficulty
going up the stairs, getting out of bed, and does not exercise like he should. He does not have
much difficulty with his family and friends, but that could be because he rarely interacts with
them. He also does not have trouble at home. He hardly displays aggressive behavior, only
occasionally in school when dealing with his teachers, and he has no reports of alcohol or drug
abuse. He seems to be unhappy, he does not find joy or pleasure in things that used to interest
him and he spends most of his time alone on the Internet. He is only hostile and easily bored
when at school; at home he is just lazy and uninterested in social activities whether with his
family or with his friends.

Mental Health Quality of Life Scale (areas that received a higher score):
Employment/Economic Functioning: 17
Impulsive or Antisocial Behavior: 5
Substance Abuse: 5
Intellectual Functioning: 25
TOTAL SCORE: 99

FIVE AXIS DIAGNOSIS

Axis I: Senioritis
Axis II: Patient appears to have no other disorders.
Axis III: The patient does have asthma, however that medical condition is non-related to
Senioritis.
Axis IV: The only problems, if any, within his social and family life would be that he only has
minimal interaction with them, a side effect of having Senioritis.
Axis V: Patient is at a 53.

THERAPY
Cognitive: The cognitive approach to curing
this disorder to make the victim become fully
aware of just what can happen if these
symptoms persist. The person may have
difficulty getting their grades up, which in
turn could cause them to be unable to
graduate, which could also lead to them not
making it to college. Talking to someone who
can help this person become fully aware, get
them to start caring about school once more,
to teach them to start completing assignments
and tasks, can help them. The symptoms will not go away immediately however. Once the
person realizes that they need to get their second semester back in order will in turn help other
aspects of their life get back on track as well.

Alternative: This alternative is a bit harsh, but can be very effective in the long run. This type of
therapy is called "Tough Love." It works best if the student has already gotten the acceptance
letter to their college, and even if they got a rejection letter it would work as well. However, this
method would only work on those with Senioritis who actually applied to colleges. For those
who got accepted into their
college of choice, a very
official looking letter must
be mailed out to them.
The letter must state that
the college has received
updates on the student's
grades, something that
high school seniors are
unaware of that colleges
do. Due to the fact of the
recent update and upon
noticing that said student is
performing poorly in
school, the college will
revoke
the
student's
acceptance into the college
if they do not bring their
grades up by a certain date.
For the students who got
a rejection letter to the
college of their choice,
they must receive a letter
that has nothing but
positivity in the beginning.
The college has taken a
second look
at
the
student's application and
has decided that they made
a mistake by not accepting
them. As the student
continues to read with
excitement that they got
into their dream college,
the letter must then state that upon further investigation of the student's current progress in
school they have come to the conclusion that their first decision was the correct decision in
denying them acceptance into their school, unless they straighten things out by a certain date.

Warning: Due to the amount of high emotions parental consent is required for the usage of the
Tough Lough therapy approach. Careful consideration is advised.