By Anna Sinova

Academia is difficult, and not just in graduate school; it is difficult at every step of the way. Stretching bright minds at university on a continuous basis can takes its toll. Grants and the pressure to publish may keep academics awake at night. Add in a highly competitive environment, uncertain career prospects, isolation, concerns about financial security, and poor work-life balance, and you have a perfect breeding ground for burnout and mental health issues.

Indeed, in academia, mental health problems are common; everyone acknowledges that they exist. And although institutional structures are often available for the academics to, individuals may not necessarily take advantage of these resources, attempting to manage the problem privately and thus not necessarily optimally and with professional input.

To gain insights into the extent of the problem, with a view to identifying means to help, the CBR distributed a Mental Health Survey to its members.

What did we learn?

We received 40 responses to our survey. These represented undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, staff and faculty. When comparing the findings to those reported in the 2016 Canadian National statistic, fewer CBR members (those who participated in the survey) reported mental health issues. The general census in the US and Canada is that ~50% of graduate students experience mental health issues with 15-20% suffering from diagnosed depression or anxiety. Approximately 12% of the CBR respondents reported that they had been diagnosed with a mental health problem, and about 40% have discussed mental health with a healthcare provider. Fortunately, almost everyone in this category was aware of existing services on campus. The remaining 60% of respondents weren’t aware of the available resources.  This group includes individuals that are not in need and, also, possibly, individuals that are not seeking the help they need.

When it came to autonomy and support from the immediate work environment, a majority (84%) felt that they were involved in decisions affecting their work and that their supervisors provided support to get the work done (75%). Over 60% were happy with the level of recognition, fairness and respect that they experienced. Not surprisingly, about half felt stressed due to external deadlines, and approximately 35% experienced significant mental fatigue in the last six months. These numbers were actually lower than has been reported by Inside Higher Ed.

Of most concern to respondents were relationships – social, intimate, or family (43%); and work environment (37%). This emphasis was reflected by the highest number of requests for workshops on Career Exploration and Stress Management, followed closely by ones on Mindfulness Training and Time Management.

An interesting finding was that 65% of CBR members had more than two people that they enjoyed spending time with at work and ALL of these members felt a strong sense of belonging to their lab. This also translated to people being more likely to feel that they belonged to a larger community. On the other hand, those who identified fewer than 3 work friends, felt less connected to their labs and to the community. Our survey could not distinguish whether the location in which members worked (e.g., in vs out of the Life Sciences Centre), impacted on the response.

In spite of the limited nature of our survey, we are able to draw some conclusions that hopefully will be of value: 1) It is important to have work-friends, 2) Members should be made aware of available professional resources, 3) Individuals should support each other wherever possible, and 4) The CBR community should offer structured support for the highest needs areas, i.e., career search/development and workplace challenges.

In response to the survey, the CBR is planning to offer a series of Workplace Relevant Workshops open to all its members. These will cover dispute resolution, effective communication skills, and finances and budgeting. A series of resources, including supervisory skills for PIs and postdoctoral fellows, and a list of mental health resources on and off campus for staff, faculty and students, will be made available in November.

The CBR is also planning to introduce a new experiential program on Career Exploration that will be based on the curriculum from the PhD Career Ladder Program. This will feature group meetings with a step-by-step program of developing and executing a personalized career plan.

Wellness and social events will continue to be organized through the CBR Health and Wellness Committee, with the aim of building a greater sense of community at the CBR.

Hope to see you at the next CBR initiative!