So it seems like the general public has finally noticed that grad school is bad for students’ mental health. We’ve known the punishing medical school curriculum burns students out, but it seems PhD programs aren’t doing much better. I’ve recently seen headlines like “PhD students have double the risk of developing a psychiatric disorder than the rest of the ‘highly educated’ population” or “Ph.D. students face significant mental health challenges.” Based on my experiences, these headlines, to understate things, are absolutely true. Continue reading Mental Well-Being and the PhD Student
Tag Archives: mental health
Depression Lies: Resources to Help
Robin Williams’ death from an apparent suicide yesterday is an opportunity to raise awareness about some of the resources available for people struggling with depression. Depression is insidious; when you are inside it, you feel completely logical in your sadness and hopelessness. You may not believe you can get better, or you may be in so much pain that you don’t even want to try. However, depression is an illness that lies to you. It is treatable and there is help if you’re struggling with it.
Depression is still stigmatized. People are embarrassed to talk about it openly, and unfortunately, that means you may not be aware of the help that exists for you. I’m going to list some resources I know about. Continue reading Depression Lies: Resources to Help