Being a graduate student in STEM is a unique experience that can be taxing on your mental health. High expectations and vulnerability in the student-advisor relationship can create stressful environments. Students deal with a long list of stressors, including high workloads, financial difficulties, imposter syndrome, and stressful workplace relationships that can seem insurmountable. Multiple surveys indicate that a large percent of university students (39-45%) feel depressed, often indicating the cause to be academic. In a survey conducted at UC Berkeley, only 50% of students that reported having a problem would consider seeking help, 35% ended up doing so, and 25% were not aware of the services that the university provided. A separate survey of 301 graduate students at Emory found that greater than 34% had moderate to severe depression, while 7.3% reported suicidal thoughts. In order to provide support during graduate school, students have started initiatives to help.
Following the suicide of a close friend and fellow graduate student in UC Berkeley's Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) department, Wendy Ingram decided to co-found a peer network for mental health support and awareness. “From our devastation, we decided to build something that would promote change” she said. The MCB Graduate Network was founded in 2013 by Ingram and eight other students, initially consisting of an event for third-year students where they shared struggles they faced, and talked about strategies to deal with stress, loneliness, depression, and anxiety. The founders of the program identified the third year of graduate school, following qualifying exams, as particularly difficult. However, in a followup survey regarding the initial event for third-years, the reviews were very positive and the participants requested similar events for all years of graduate school. The group also obtained support from Counseling and Psychological Services, which provided training for students on intervention tools, peer support techniques, and a suicide prevention method known as QPR (question, persuade, and refer to professionals for help). In future years, the MCB Graduate Network also plans to involve faculty members by encouraging them to cultivate mental health awareness in their labs and training them to spot signs of struggling students. The University of Minnesota has also begun a similar program called the Community of Chemistry Graduate Students (CCGS) aimed at increasing graduate student health, happiness and productivity.
The most common mental health issues experienced by students are depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and addiction or substance abuse. Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and leads to feelings of helplessness and isolation. Symptoms can be physical (change in sleep habits or appetite), emotional (sad or overwhelmed), or mental (lack of concentration or optimism). When anxiety interferes with daily life it becomes an anxiety disorder and can be general or specific, like PTSD or OCD. These disorders often manifest as physical tension, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and apprehension. Eating disorders are characterized by extreme behaviors, emotions, and attitudes focused around food and body image, such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. People with eating disorders may exercise or eat excessively or show apprehension about eating. More serious cases can lead to threatening ailments such as kidney failure and heart problems. Addiction is a dependency or excessive use of substances, things, or activities that interfere with daily life and responsibilities. The signs of addiction vary depending of the object of fixation, but generally can be changes in physical appearance, health, and social behaviors.
Julie Cerel, a psychologist and professor at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work and president of the American Association of Suicidology, says “most people who are depressed or suicidal don’t make it to a counseling center." Training people who are naturally part of students’ environment such as teaching assistants, professors, and staff can help identify those in need. Philippe Buhlmann, a chemistry professor at the University of Minnesota, made it his mission as the director of graduate studies to promote mental health. He launched an effort to train mental health advocates within academia using the “4R” approach: recognize when people are in trouble, assume the role of listener, respond by giving them options, and direct them to appropriate resources. If someone you know shows signs of suffering from a mental health issue, consider this approach and reach out to them.
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