I am starting this blog in order to share my experience of doing a PhD with a mental illness and I hope that my experiences and lessons learned may be of use to current and future PhD students (or even finished ones who haven’t had their experiences validated).
Doing a PhD is hard. It is probably one of the most challenging things you will ever do. Even the most mentally stable people frequently experience mental health difficulties during their PhD – so what chance does someone with a preexisting mental illness have? The answer is every chance!
However, doing a PhD with a mental illness requires a lot of patience (especially if you are on medication), learning about yourself and your needs, and listening to your body and mind.
I am hoping to first start with a post about myself and my own experience. I’ll also aim to cover topics such as:
- what makes doing a PhD so challenging
- what are some common struggles
- the relationship with your supervisor
- medication issues
- dealing with procrastination
- dealing with criticism
- and many more…
So stay tuned and let me know if you have a topic in mind you’d like me to cover!
Academia & mental health 