Symptoms and causes

Symptoms and causes to stress and depression

within an academic context

Working in academia has several advantages such as executing cutting-edge science, meeting people from all over the world, ability to teach, etc. However, the academic circle is also frequently associated with signs of stress and depression. This part aims to identify the symptoms and causes.

Disclaimer: the author of the page is not a medical doctor. The messages on this topic serve primarily to address the existing taboo on the issue, and feedback from health care professionals should be sought after by those in need.

1. The Symptoms

To tackle the symptoms, we will distinguish between signs of stress and those related to depression. In general, stress are short-to middle term signs which can take minutes to days to develop. Instead depression may follow from chronic stress symptoms over a periods of months and years...

1.1. Short term: Stress

Stress symptoms can vary widely. Below a few common ones are highlighted. With how many are you familiair?

1.1.1. Unrest and rush

A general one is a feeling of unrest or feeling rushed. Whenever you do something, it is done with a great speed in which the end result is holy.

1.1.2. Pressure

FEELING pressured is an important symptom of stress. It should not be mistaken with BEING pressured. It is often the case that when you take a moment to think about the position you are in, that the imagined pressure is in fact not there. This is of course increased by rushing things...

1.1.3. No longer enjoy things

When you rush something, you may have noticed that you can no longer enjoy it. By placing too much emphasis on the end result, the process becomes an obstacle... When this symptom occurs also in the private domain, the problem is severe as this may inhibit the ability to relax...

1.1.4. Exorbitant occurrence of frustration and anger

When rushing things and feeling pressured, it can occur that you 'detonate' without a real cause. This for example occurs when someone is bashing in a screen or keyboard because something does not work. This becomes a rather dangerous symptom when you wrongfully accuse or even insult colleagues...

1.1.5. Physical symptoms

A surprisingly large amount of physical symptoms are related to stress: muscle pains, tense muscles, twitches, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, etc.These can be interpreted as your body telling you: "da fak, this is not the way forward, bro!"

1.2. Long term: Depression

When exposed to chronic stress, signs of depression may start to occur. This happens when the light at the end of the tunnel is becoming rather bleak...

1.2.1. Negative view

Seeing things through a rather negative perspective can be a sign of depression. This may give also rise to a sense of paranoia: by misinterpreting people's intentions you think the world is turned against you. Surprisingly, this is usually not the case!

1.2.2. Unable to enjoy anything

When depressed, nothing seems enjoyable anymore. Even things that you liked before (music, movies, going out with friends, food, etc.) do not seem worth the effort...
A powerful tool the mind is indeed!

1.2.3. Lack of energy

Your mental position may even influence how energetic you feel. Even the smallest physical task may seem like unmovable mountain...

2. Causes

Okay, that sounds all a bit grim. Let's see how we got into this situation. The factors of influence are based on how you are made, where you have been, where you are, and where you are going...

2.1. Perfectionism: Raising the bar

Perfectionism enables people to push themselves further than others. This trait, possible a result from lack of positive reinforcement during childhood, can also be giving rise to issues. By raising the bar to high scientifically, socially, and emotionally...

2.1.1. Scientifically

By setting the bar to high, tasks may never finish. Hence, you may end up wasting too much time on a minor task, causing stress. In addition, as the perfect goal is never reached, you are unable to reward yourself for the things you do have reached.

2.1.2. Personally

As a person, trying to be perfect is impossible. Even trying to be simply 'fine' does not always apply. Hence, trying to be perfect can only be achieved by either lying to yourself or denial. In both cases, the resulting alienation from yourself (and others) may lead to isolation (see below).

2.1.3. Socially

Social perfectionism implies that you try to please everybody. In doing so, not only may you end up lying to yourself and others, you may also take on too many tasks increasing your stress levels. For example, when you are already clearly busy, you may take on an extra task simply because somebody asks you....

2.1.4. Too much information

Via the numerous channels, the amount of information you can get, and the amount of communication you may achieve are impressive. However, when you are a perfectionist, dealing which each stream or initiative in the perfect way seems impossible... But still you try...

2.2. Isolation

A common source of depression is isolation. Being isolated is probably one of the worst feelings to experience. In the academic circle, there are several types of isolation you may be exposed too...

2.2.1. Social

Doing research often involves a high dedication and occasionally long hours. As such, you may no longer be able to contact your social network. This is especially true for people that change country for research. In this case, the entire social network becomes marginalized, making social isolation more likely.

2.2.2. Cultural

Even if you made some friends, cultural isolation may still occur. When you find yourself in a (work) culture that does not at all relate to you, you may end up isolated. This is particularly pronounced when you change continent (from Europe to Asia for example).

2.2.3. Scientific

Scientific isolation occurs when you are not able to discuss your science with anybody. This can be due to a lack of time (of the supervisor) and/or simply because nobody else in your research group has the expertise. This type of isolation also increases strongly with the degree of brilliance. So no risk for the author of this webpage ;)

2.3. Dependence

A large factor contributing to stress is the dependence on a single person. For example, for PhD students their future depends strongly on the outcome of the PhD. This is turn also relies strongly on the acting supervisor. This can create an unhealthy power balance. Especially, in the case of a perfectionist, this further strengthens the inability to say no...

2.4. Insecurity about the future

Insecurity about the future can be a large source of stress. Not knowing where you will be, what you will be doing (and earning), and with whom can be challenging. In academia, where permanent positions are scarce, such insecurity is common. This is of course even more intense when you have to take care of a family, and/or when you experience societal pressure.

2.5. Taboo

Although awareness is rapidly growing, the risks of stress and depression are still often wiped under the carpet. This obviously contributes to the experience of isolation.

A PhD: the potential perfect storm

Performing an international PhD can be an outstanding scientific, personal, cultural, and societal experience. However, it also combines all the possible causes that can give rise to psychological issues: You take an intelligent person out of his steady place in society, to put in him another culture in a demanding environment highly dependent on a single supervisor. The risks can become larger in programs where the student moves frequently from group to group, country to country, as occurs for example in the European Erasmus Mundus program.

Light at the end of the tunnel

Of course, where there is problem: there must be a solution. Click on the button below to go to the tips 'n tricks on stress and depression in academia!

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