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Poor mental health is an issue for many of our readers. That fact is underscored by the response to a tweet sent by @NatureNews earlier this week, which highlighted that rates of depression and anxiety reported by postgraduate students are six times higher than in the general population (T. M. Evans et al. Nature Biotechnol. 36, 282–284; 2018), and asked what should be done to help. The figures are a shock, but it was the reaction that blew us away: more than 1,200 retweets and around 170 replies.
“This is not one dimensional problem. Financial burden, hostile academia, red tape, tough job market, no proper career guidance. Take your pick,” read one. “Maybe being told day in, day out that the work you spend 10+ hrs a day, 6–7 days a week on isn’t good enough,” said another.
The feedback emphasizes something that Nature has highlighted often in recent years: there is a problem among young scientists. Too many have mental-health difficulties, and too many say that the demands of the role are partly to blame. Neither issue gets the attention it deserves. “I’d love to see some of the comments under this thread published,” wrote one responder. “There needs to be real conversation about this, not just observation.”
We agree — which is why we are publishing some of the responses. (You can read the full thread here.)
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 02 2018, @07:32PM
MacGyver was always helping at-risk youths.
The M*A*S*H guys were always mentoring somebody coming through the ward.
The A-Team were writing wrongs while helping teach people to defend themselves in creative fashions.
Etc.
Hell, Airwolf was about curbing the dangers of government action without concern for the damage it could cause within and without. A lesson that could perhaps be useful to learn today given our modern military industrial complex and ever lowering bar of conduct among individuals in privileged positions.