An Unfortunate, But Wise Decision

I became severely depressed during my junior year of high school, and it really hindered my education. My concentration became so poor that I could spend half an hour just reading and re-reading a single page, and still not be able to absorb any information from it. My memory, which had always been outstanding, became terrible. As a result, I failed half of my classes that year. Things were even worse in my senior year, in which I only passed two of my classes, and only by the skin of my teeth. I did not have enough credits to graduate. My school operated on a full-year program, rather than semesters, so if I wanted to graduate I would have to go back for a whole year. I realized that going back for a whole year, with no realistic expectations that I would do any better academically, would not be good for my mental health. My depression had not brought me to the point where I was suicidal, but I recognized that another year of high school my just push me to that point. It would have been great to have actually graduated, but I think that dropping out was one of the smartest decisions I ever made.