The mental health crisis in academia
If you are interested in resources on mental health with a focus on the mental health crisis in academia, you are absolutely right here! We have collected different resources that inform you about several aspects of mental health.
Recommended resources
Compared to the general population, PhD students are six times more likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety – a study conducted by Evans et al. (2018) suggests an enormous prevalence of moderate-to-severe depression in PhD students (39%). Consistently, female PhD and graduate students suffer from these symptoms more frequently than men.
Why is this the case? What “survival strategies” did people use who already completed their PhD journey? Here is some recommended resources on the mental health crisis in academia
Nature collection
This online resource created by the Nature Publishing group provides information about the mental health crisis in academia and gives support and advice on how to improve your own mental health as well as the one of your colleagues and mentors.
Podcast
The podcast “Papa PhD” addresses many different aspects of career and life balance exploration for academics and graduate students. Also, check out the provided Tools for your PhD journey to keep balance within and without!
Max Planck Society Workshop
In 2017, the Max Planck Society organized a workshop with Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to discuss how to improve the mental health condition of PhD students. Check out the overview of the workshop to learn about specific mental health challenged for ECRs and suggestions for concrete solutions.
Mentoring matters
A scientific article in Nature Cell Biology that discusses the role of mentoring for mental health of PhD students and emphasizes the importance of research institutions and funding bodies to promote a culture that supports good mentorship in academia.
Aktionsbündnis seelische Gesundheit
This nationwide initiative supported by the German Federal Ministry of Health is a good resource to learn about mental health problems. They announce regular events on the website and provide information on counseling services and hotlines (Telefonseelsorge). They also inform about the basic forms of treatment that are available in Germany.
Max Planck PhDnet
Raising awareness about mental health in academia is one of the main goals of the Max Planck PhDnet. In 2019, they have organized a Mental Health Awareness Week and have collected some interesting insights about mental health related topics in academia.
Dragonfly Mental Health
Dragonfly Mental Health is a non-profit organization that is aimed at improving mental health care access and raise awareness for the unhealthy culture that is currently pervading academia. Find more information on their website.
Helmholtz Juniors PhD survey
Helmholtz Juniors is a PhD initiative that is part of the Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren. In 2017, they published the Helmholtz Juniors PhD survey in which they report among other things about satisfaction, mental stress and considerations to resign among PhD students.
Common symptoms among PhD students
Imposter Syndrome
Impostor syndrome is a complex system of attitudes and convictions around self-doubt and feelings of being inadequate and/or incompetent. The term has first been utilized by Clance and Imes (1978). They reported a failure of internalizing successes and feelings of fraudulence observed in high-achieving women. Impostors are convinced of being unworthy of the praise they receive despite many achievements and accolades. These exemplary statements by a hypothetical impostor further illustrate this syndrome:
“I only got this position because I can be quite charming. I frauded my way into this program by exploiting this trait.”
“I must have deceived the selection committee – I do not have the abilities that they think I have”
“The jury must have lowered their standards for me”
Check out these resources on the impostor syndrome, since knowing about it is already the first step towards a cure:
A short TED-Ed illustration video on what impostor syndrome is and how you can combat it.
“Ever felt like you’re faking it?” – Starting with that question, this article explains why impostor syndrome affects the most successful people.
Depression
Depression is a highly prevalent mental disorder. Estimates are that about 11-20% of the whole population will experience a clinically relevant major depressive disorder at some point during their life. Isolated symptoms of depression can occur in all of us. If, however, the symptoms interfere with your daily life, it is time to seek out for some help.
Symptoms of depression include lowering of mood, reduction of energy and decreased activity. For example, you might find it very hard to get up in the morning to go to work; or to go out and meet your friends. Some people report that they do not enjoy the things they used to like as much anymore. Others report problems concentrating or tiredness even after minimum effort. Usually, sleep and appetite change during a depressive episode. Some people sleep much more than before; others can’t find sleep anymore. The same is true for appetite: some forms of depression will cause you to constantly overeat, while others might make you stop having an appetite all together. Some people lose interest in sex, or you might feel very restless and agitated. Ideas of guilt or worthlessness are almost always present.
These symptoms can interfere with your daily life, your family, friends and relationships, your job and physical health. If you feel like you are experiencing any these symptoms, do not hesitate to reach out and talk about them to your friends, your family or a therapist.
Anxiety
Anxiety includes feelings of worry, uneasiness, tension or fear which are expressed through thoughts, feelings or even physical symptoms. These feelings are mostly directed to things that might happen in the future. Most people feel anxious from time to time, especially when dealing with stressful events or situations that might have a big impact on your life.
However, anxiety can become a real problem when it is too excessive. It may reduce your quality of life for a long period of time or hinder you from doing the things that you want to do. There are many different triggers of anxiety. Some common triggers are social situations or test situations – both very prevalent in the life of a PhD student. Anxiety can have as many faces as there are people. Some may experience sudden, intense panic attacks without an obvious trigger; while others may engage in excessive worry about their own health and bodily symptoms.
Unattended anxiety and stress can lead to a series of physical syndromes. Those can range from sweaty palms, to short breath, to chronic headaches and migraines, or even irritable bowel syndrome. The last one is a functional disorder with symptoms like cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea or constipation. If you are experiencing similar symptoms, contact your general practitioner and mention the nature of your work and its stress and anxiety levels.
If you feel like your anxiety has reached an excessive level at which you find it hard to go about the activities you enjoy, please reach out and talk about them to your family, friends or a therapist.