A PhD state of mind (2018)

Most PhD graduates have stories of high stress or dejection, and of long evenings and weekends in the lab trying to get an experiment to work, to complete a manuscript for submission or to finish their thesis. Nature’s 2017 survey on the lives and career aspirations of ~5,700 PhD students worldwide (http://go.nature.com/2qWSyfX) reported that although roughly three quarters of respondents were satisfied with their PhD programmes overall, more than a quarter saw mental health as an area of concern, with 12% having sought help for anxiety or depression caused by their PhD studies. At the university and institute level, fostering closer ties within the PhD student body and organising regular meetings with thesis committee members can offer crucial support outside the lab, including much needed reality-checks on progress and perceived failures.

Source: www.nature.com