Posting this response from a subscriber:
I would add that one of the biggest barriers isn't being scared to talk
about it, "for fear of being seen as weak..." etc -- it's **through
experience* of being seen as weak...* etc.
When you, or your colleagues, have (multiple) experiences of having
reached out and then discovered the often-unspoken negative consequences
(missed opportunities, being passed over for positions, being openly
chided by colleagues/coworkers) -- it makes one understandably reticent.
As a (mostly/by preference) field biologist I would concur that
field-versus-lab-versus-office doesn't make a whole lot of difference.
It can be an enormous break for one's mental health to spend a week
entering data in a warm, well-lit office after weeks of slogging through
rain, snow, mud, bugs and camping amongst the bears (for instance)...
In agreement that it's a conversation worth continuing and building
upon, thanks for carrying this forward.
On Sun, Nov 20, 2016 at 6:09 PM, David Inouye <ino...@umd.edu
<mailto:ino...@umd.edu>> wrote:
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.
--
Dr. David W. Inouye
Professor Emeritus
Department of Biology
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-4415
ino...@umd.edu
Principal Investigator
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory
PO Box 519
Crested Butte, CO 81224
