Re: [ECOLOG-L] Nature article on mental health in science

[David Inouye]

Hi David,

Thanks for sharing the article. There have been several like it in the 
past few month, especially when it comes to mental health among graduate 
students. One of the biggest barriers to finding solutions to the 
problem, in my opinion, is that those with mental illnesses are scared 
to talk about it, for fear of being seen as weak or complaining to their 
colleagues. There's also the underlying challenge of addressing the 
aspects of academic culture that make people so prone to depression and 
anxiety. So, sharing articles like this is quite helpful.

To your question, while I don't have data about it, my personal 
experience tells me that scientists who work in the field are just a 
likely as others (I'm mostly thinking of grad students here) to develop 
symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. The majority of grad students I 
know (myself included) and students I know from a field station have 
struggled with depression at some point in their training. The most 
common time seems to be the "third year slump", which occurs after 
comprehensive exams. The effects can be pretty serious. I almost didn't 
go to the field station last year because it was physically difficult to 
get to of bed, let alone possess the mental capacity to undertake a 
large field project. Only because I went on anti-depressants at the last 
minute was I able to get it together. I still take them today. I'm sad 
to say that versions of my story are more common than not.

I think it's important to keep conversations about mental health in 
academia going, so thanks again for sharing. It's OK with me if you want 
to post this response on Ecolog.