Mental Health Resources and Traveling with Medication Abroad

Mental Health Resources While Abroad 

Temple provides some mental health resources for students studying away: 

• Education Abroad’s Storytellers Blog has a section dedicated to discussing mental health 

Below are some external websites, articles, and videos that provide comprehensive information and coping strategies for mental health issues abroad:  

Websites:  

• Mental Health Abroad from the University of Florida International Center  
• WebMD: how travel affects you mentally 
• GoOverSeas: this article is specifically about experiencing depression and depression-like symptoms, but the website has many articles about all types of issues that come up when studying abroad.  

Articles:  

• Dealing with homesickness
• Dealing with travel anxiety/anxiety in general, abroad.  
• NPR: Studying Abroad with a Mental Illness: Audio podcast (and written transcription) from a woman who studied abroad in Kenya with clinical anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.  
• Personal advice from the blog of a person who travels with Depression and GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)  

Videos: 

• Coping with Post Study Abroad Depression  
• FOMO, homesickness, loneliness, and mental health. This YouTube vlogger details all the things she never considered about going abroad and how to cope with them.  

For Dublin City University Specifically:  

Mental Health:  

• DCU has great counseling services for mental and physical health! You can learn more about them at their main website here.  
• You can get in contact or make an appointment with them here.  

Physical Health:  

• Here is a guide of medicines to pack for Ireland from the CDC.  

Obtaining Prescription Medicine While Abroad:  

The first step is always to tell your doctor/ psychiatrist when and where you will be going far in advance. They can offer you the best advice for filling your prescription abroad.  

You should be able to bring at least three months of your prescription meds abroad, so, time allowing, the best course of action is to just take all your meds with you.  

CDC STUDY ABROAD GUIDELINES: FOR MEDICINE  

Important notes about prescription medications abroad from the above link:  

• All prescriptions carried internationally must indicate the student’s name, the name of the medication (brand name and generic), and the dosage and quantity prescribed. Treating physicians should provide a letter explaining the student’s diagnosis and the recommended treatment.   
• Students should pack a copy of the physician’s letter along with all medications (in their original, labeled containers) in their carry-on baggage. Some destinations may require disclosure of prescription medications when clearing customs. 
• Most countries prohibit arriving travelers from importing quantities of medication greater than what has been prescribed for personal use. For study abroad exceeding 90 days, students should—where possible—fill prescriptions in the US that will cover them for the full duration of their time away from home.  
• Some countries do not accept prescriptions written by US providers. Students who anticipate needing to refill a prescription while abroad must be prepared to schedule an appointment to visit a local doctor to obtain a valid, accepted prescription. Students need to determine before travel whether their travel insurance policy covers such appointments; insurers may consider this to be preventive care and refuse coverage.