Mental health crises are widely plaguing the scientific and academic communities, with a trend of exacerbation and expansion. An article in Nature titled “How PhD students and other academics are fighting the mental-health crisis in science” states that mental health issues are particularly severe for students (especially PhD students) and young researchers who are just entering the workforce. They often have meager salaries, have to leave their hometowns every few years, and lack job prospects. Senior researchers with many years of research or teaching experience also face immense research pressure. Many postdocs and young scholars have also experienced harassment, discrimination, bullying, and even sexual assault, making them more prone to depression and anxiety.
A still from the movie Good Will Hunting (1997).
Universities and research institutions worldwide are beginning to explore ways to help students and employees cope with research pressure. This includes yoga.
At the University of Zurich in Switzerland, health psychologist Annika Martin is teaching a special course called “Mindfulness and Meditation”. The course is attended by students of the university who are asked to spread out yoga mats, stand with their feet apart, place their hands on their lower back, and start practicing an exercise called “Wild Goose Drinking Water”. In addition to yoga, Martin also teaches meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, and other content to help students understand the effects of stress on the body, the relationship between stress and the body, and ultimately achieve stress relief. However, Martin is aware that some students attending the course are skeptical. Many of them have never tried yoga before and have registered for the course with the idea of trying it out to relieve stress.
Aside from Martin’s “Mindfulness and Meditation” course, the University of Zurich also offers courses to help students build resilience. Eric Alms, the head of the university’s mental health courses, said that the number of students registering for these courses far exceeds the actual course capacity. He stated, “I am glad that the courses are so successful. On the other hand, when these courses become the most popular ones, it is a troublesome sign.”
Imperial College London has organized over twenty courses and workshops on various topics ranging from menstrual health to seasonal affective disorder, with most projects running for at least five years.
A still from the documentary Ivory Tower (2014).
Nature references several surveys conducted in recent years on researchers, reminding people of the extent and consequences of mental health crises in research work. For example, in 2020, the Wellcome Trust in London surveyed over 4,000 researchers (primarily in the UK) and found that 70% of them felt significant stress. Respondents indicated immense pressure to publish papers, working fifty to sixty hours per week with low pay and no sense of security for the future. Another survey conducted by Cactus Communications, a science communication and technology company in Mumbai, India, analyzed the experiences of over 13,000 researchers from more than 160 countries in 2020, revealing that 37% had experienced discrimination, harassment, or bullying at work. Furthermore, a survey by the National Science Foundation in the US in 2020 of 3,500 graduate students showed that over 25% of respondents faced issues like food insecurity and housing insecurity, lacking security in both career and life.
Research pressures and methods for relief. Image from Nature magazine (Illustration: Piotr Kowalczyk).
So, can psychological courses and training programs help PhD students and young scholars alleviate research pressure?
Some researchers believe that the current attempts are the first step in addressing the problem. They are willing to participate in various psychological courses and training programs that can help alleviate stress. David Trang from the Space Science Institute in Honolulu, Hawaii, mentioned that “caring about mental health, diversity, equity, and inclusion won’t help scientists make progress in science”. Researchers also lack sufficient motivation to make changes even though they are concerned about mental health problems. Ultimately, they must care about their survival in the field of science. This reflects the doubts of many researchers. Efforts made around mental health will not directly help them win research funding or secure tenure, as ultimately, they must care about their survival in the field of science.
Translated by/ Dong Luo
Edited by/ Ting Zhang
Proofread by/ Jun Liu
