Grad School Blues
|
Posted By: Hija Chang on March 17, 2016 Posted by Jessica Kirkpatrick A few years back UC Berkeley did a study of the mental health of graduate students. The results were quite astounding. The study found that 67% of graduate students said they had felt hopeless at least once in the last year; 54% felt so depressed they had a hard time functioning; and nearly 10% said they had considered suicide (note that in the graph below shows considering suicide "frequently" or "all the time", thus the percentage difference). Female respondents were more likely to report feeling hopeless, exhausted, sad, depressed, or suicidal. By comparison, an estimated 9.5% of American adults suffer from depressive disorders, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Less than 2% of graduate students surveyed said they would first contact a mental health provider or a member of the faculty to discuss an emotional or stress-related problem. While 52% of survey participants reported that they considered using psychological or counseling services provided by the university, less than 30% actually reported using these services. Almost 25% of graduate students in the survey were unaware of on-campus mental health services. Female students reported receiving less attention from their academic advisors and were also less statistfied with these interactions than their male counterparts. Therefore not only are female students experiencing more mental health issues, they have less contact (and therefore support) from their advisors, or their interactions are less satisfying. One of the major conclusions of the study was that graduate students as a group are a population at high risk for mental health concerns. The level of stress for graduate students is magnified by their relative isolation from the broader components of campus life, the intense academic pressures of their advanced studies, and the increased presence of family and financial obligations. The fact that women are getting less attention from their advisors and also have a higher self reported mental health problems means that this population is especially at risk. I wanted to highlight the fact that graduate students experience mental heath problems at a much higher rate than the general population to raise awareness of the magnitude of this problem. Everyone in graduate departments -- whether it be students, staff, or faculty -- should be aware of the prevalence of mental health issues and the overall reluctance for people to seek help. Everyone should know what resources are available at their institutions, and include mental health issues as part of the conversation with their students, peers, and classmates. Source: http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/ If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
 |
Hija Chang
Management, See Moss Interactive Bellarmine University class of 2021 Member Since January 2011 |
Comments
More From This Author
Latest Graduate School Info
 |
Graduate Student Fellowship Opportunity!We, at www.stemuscenter.org, just completed our first two informational sessions on Research Fellowship opportunity for STEM and Social Science doctoral students.
The mission of our center is to te ...more
Manisha Maurya • 2,111 Views • October 23rd, 2024 |
 |
4 Habits for Success in Online SchoolOnline education has become an increasingly popular option for students over the years, especially due to the current global pandemic. However, succeeding in online school takes more than just a good ...more
Anica Oaks • 2,413 Views • February 1st, 2024 |
Popular Graduate School Info
 |
People Judge Your Intelligence Based on the Tone of Your Voice and How Fast You Speak
Do you want people to think you are intelligent? Has someone ever told you “You’re much smarter than you look.”?
No doubt it can sting to be perceived as less intelligent, particularly when you ...more
Hija Chang • 32,592 Views • June 12th, 2017 |
 |
How to Improve Your Reading Comprehension If youd like to improve your reading comprehension, try the SQ3R method. This is an acronym that means: Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review.
Heres how it works:
Survey Your Text
Prior t ...more
Hija Chang • 25,253 Views • June 12th, 2017 |
 |
Magna, Summa, and the Honor RollWhat does it mean to graduate with honors? Academic honors involve these Latin terms...
What is Cum Laude: Graduating With Honor means graduating cum laude. What does cum laude mean? Translators de ...more
Hija Chang • 24,853 Views • March 16th, 2016 |
 |
Never procrastinate and always free time…..One blog I read regularly is by Leo Babauta, called zen habits. Essentially, he writes all about simplifying your life. A while ago, Scott Young was a guest blogger for Babuata’s website and wrote a p ...more
Hija Chang • 14,204 Views • April 19th, 2018 |
 |
MVSU to host Graduate Expo March 1Why should you consider an advanced degree? How will you finance your graduate education? What program of study is the best fit for you?
For the answer to these questions and many more, attend Mis ...more
Hija Chang • 13,304 Views • February 27th, 2018 |
