The following chronic health conditions intend to highlight the nature of the disease and how it may influence a student’s day-to-day activities. This is not a comprehensive list and is not intended to be used as diagnosis. Explaining every type of health condition is beyond the scope of this toolkit. Therefore, the primary objective in this section is to understand how different health conditions affect a student’s ability to participate in school and in their social life, as both of those areas have a profound impact on student mental health. For any detailed information regarding any of the conditions mentioned, please consult a health care provider (such as a doctor or a nurse) or an expert on the topic (e.g., a scientist).
Mental health conditions traditionally tend to be omitted from the list of chronic health conditions despite these conditions affecting individuals for most of their lives, with physical, emotional and cognitive manifestations. In Ontario, over a third of post-secondary students have reported experiencing some sort of formal mental health diagnosis, with depression and generalized anxiety being the most common (Moghimi et al., 2023). Additionally, no two students experience the same condition in the same way, due to either sociological factors, genetic factors, or both.
| Condition | Academic Impacts | Social Impacts |
| Depression (Major Depressive Disorder) (Mayo Clinic, n.d.) |
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| Anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) (Cleveland Clinic, 2025) |
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It is important to note that conditions like depression and anxiety can often manifest as a byproduct of a different health condition (as mentioned before in our section on how chronic conditions can overlap) (Turner, 2000).
Neurological health conditions pertain to any condition that occurs due to disruption or injury in any component within the nervous system such as the brain, the cells in the brain, the spinal cord and the nerves anywhere in the body (Cleveland Clinic, 2025).
| Condition | Academic Impacts | Social Impacts |
| Traumatic Brain Injury (Philipson et al., 2023; Supporting Students With Disabilities, n.d.) |
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| Migraines (Mayo Clinic, n.d.) |
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| Multiple Sclerosis (MS) (Hoffman et al., 2019; Mayo Clinic, n.d.) |
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Endocrinological health conditions are health conditions that manifest due to irregularities of hormone levels or disruption in how the hormones affect our body.
| Condition | Academic Impacts | Social Impacts |
| Diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2) (Hagger et al., 2022) |
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| Addison’s Disease (Mälstam et al., 2018) |
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| Hypothyroidism (British Thyroid Foundation, n.d.; Mohammed et al., 2023) |
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Chronic respiratory diseases are conditions that impact the respiratory system such as the lungs and the airways, and impact how one can breathe. While there are genetic factors to some of these conditions, environmental factors such as air pollution and tobacco smoke can play a role (Public Health Ontario, n.d.).
| Condition | Academic Impacts | Social Impacts |
| Asthma (Carpentier et al., 2007; Mayo Clinic, n.d.) |
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| Cystic Fibrosis (Cystic Fibrosis Canda, n.d.) |
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Student Success Story: Elspeth Arbow
Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, Elspeth Arbow at the University of Toronto shows that academic success is possible with patience, lots of support, and strength.
“Take your time,” she says. “The only rush is when you think you have to meet a four-year standard or whatever… It doesn’t matter as long as you get it done. If that takes you four years, great. If it takes six years, cool. If it takes you 10 years – it’s all the more powerful when you do finish.”
You can read her journey here.
The Supporting Students with Disabilities Module (developed by the Anglophone postsecondary institutions of New Brunswick) provides an insightful section on chronic health conditions. You can test your knowledge and understanding of chronic health conditions in the myth and facts section. In the same module, you can also find a section on scenarios that may give insight into a student’s day-to day life with chronic health conditions.
