Francesco Tamagnini, University of Reading, UK

https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.118.22

Join us for a workshop on mental health in academia at our first ever virtual conference, Future Physiology, during the week of 6 July 2020. Learn about the background and impetus for the workshop below:

I realised something was wrong during the second year of my PhD when I had my first panic attack followed by bouts of depression. In the first decade of my intellectual life, science filled me with a sense of wonder at the endless unknown, the feeling ancient Greeks called θαύμα (thauma). It gave me joy, so I decided that learning and doing science was my aim in life. In the second decade of my academic life, the pursuit of science was associated with disease, to the point that anxiety and depression became an important filter through which I viewed my intellectual and human experience.

Academic life, normally associated with human progress and intellectual challenge, is now also regarded as a possible cause of long-lasting mental disorders, both impairing the quality of life of academics and the reliability of their work.

While the causes of sporadic mental disorders are multifactorial and often hard to identify, a key precipitating factor for me was my PhD. I’m half-joking when I say my scientific motivation changed from thauma to trauma. My professional and personal development diverged during what should have been a key period of academic growth.

During the subsequent years of my career, I observed a similar pattern occurring in almost every PhD student I met. They came in fresh, enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and left broken. I could see how even their faces and bodies changed, becoming over- or underweight, looking older, more tired, and more detached. Unlike the portrait of Dorian Gray’s, they were showing signs of decay directly on themselves.

Some of the thinking that can lead to people becoming mentally unwell may be as follows:

• Your success as a scientist is defined by the number of papers you publish and grants you’re awarded. Your professional development (soft skills, technical skills. workshops) is often regarded as irrelevant at the workplace.
• You must keep your h-index high or you can’t be successful.
• You must spend prolonged periods of time away from your family and friends because it is the only way to expand your network.
• It was your choice to do a PhD. It is a great experience and you should be grateful and positive. Mental health difficulties are “normal”, everyone has them, and they should be regarded almost as part of your job experience.
• You have to stay at work long, but it is not clear how many more hours are enough.

In summary, a constant pressure towards performance rather than a person’s intellectual development, generates a sense of frustration and imprisonment.

I have decided that this is stupid, unnecessary, and unfair. Something needs to be done. The good news is that people in academia are talking about this issue. Students, post-doctoral researchers, principal investigators, policymakers and funding bodies, are creating momentum around the conversation.

During this workshop, we want to discuss this topic, to promote the development of a healthier work ethic amongst scientists. The key questions will be:

• Are academics more prone to mental health disorders in comparison with the general population? If so, why?
• What steps can be taken to change academic culture to make it healthier?
• Would the improvement of scientists’ mental health result in better science?