If you’ve ever heard that doing a PhD is tough — it is, and that’s probably an understatement. The hours are long and stressful, the money is rarely okay, and the research comes with immense pressure. Now, yet another study has confirmed what every academic should already know: pursuing a PhD can take a serious toll on mental health.
The study showed that mental health problems are not just common among PhD students — they’re significantly more prevalent than among their peers with only master’s degrees.
Doing a PhD is bad for your mental health
The path to becoming an academic or researcher is grueling. It takes several years of hard, competitive, underpaid work. And, to top it off, it’s often a lonely journey. A new study from Sweden looked at how many PhD students in Sweden were prescribed psychiatric drugs and were hospitalized for mental-health problems. They found “systemic” problems.
The research used national records to track the mental health of PhD students over a decade, comparing their use of psychiatric medications to that of individuals with master’s degrees.
Before beginning their PhD, students showed similar rates of psychiatric medication use to their peers with master’s degrees. However, once they embarked on their doctoral journey, the rate of mental health care uptake — primarily in the form of antidepressants and anxiety medications — rose sharply. In fact, by the fifth year of their PhD studies, the likelihood of collecting psychiatric medication increased by a staggering 40%.
What’s more concerning is that the mental health issues didn’t just appear for a few years and then disappear. The study found that while the use of psychiatric medication decreased after students completed their PhDs, it remained higher than pre-PhD levels. It’s as though the stress accumulated during these years leaves lasting scars, even after the pressure of completing a dissertation is relieved.
Stress, anxiety, and isolation
The researchers caution that the results have not yet been compared to other intense, competitive industries (which is what they plan to do next). However, the results are consistent with previous research pointing to an underlying mental health crisis in academia.
PhD students often work in environments that foster stress, anxiety, and isolation. According to previous surveys on graduate mental health, several key factors contribute to this problem. Students contend with long working hours, job insecurity, financial instability, and strained relationships with supervisors. They’re in a constant “publish or perish” competition in which they need to produce academic papers as quickly as possible, which often fosters a toxic work culture.
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It’s not just the workload that’s the problem. PhD students often find themselves stuck in what feels like a black hole of academia. There’s no clear career path for many, and the uncertainty over what comes after graduation weighs heavily on students’ minds. A recent study found that over 60% of PhD students feel unsure about their future careers, contributing significantly to their mental health problems.
Additionally, many PhD students report feeling disconnected from their peers and the wider academic community. The academic world, particularly for doctoral students, can be an isolating place. This sense of isolation only compounds existing stress and anxiety.
Let’s zoom out for a second. These are young, ambitious, early-career scientists. They are the bright minds you’d want to support and nurture in society. Instead, they’re being thrown into an abyss of uncertainty. Oh, and the results come from Sweden, a country hailed for its wellbeing and overall mental health. In the rest of the world, the situation is likely even more dire.
A look at the numbers
The study draws on an extensive dataset of more than 37,000 PhD students who began their studies between 2006 and 2017. Using Swedish administrative records, researchers examined prescriptions for psychiatric medications and hospitalizations for mental health issues over time.
What sets this research apart from earlier surveys is its reliance on concrete data. Unlike self-reported surveys, which can sometimes overestimate or underestimate mental health problems, this study used hard evidence from medical prescriptions and hospital records. The findings thus provide a more accurate picture of how PhD students’ mental health deteriorates throughout their academic journey.
Interestingly, the study also showed a marked decline in medication use after the fifth year, corresponding to the point when many students complete their studies. However, even then, the rates of mental health care usage remained higher than pre-PhD levels.
The study didn’t only focus on prescriptions for psychiatric medications but also examined hospitalizations for more severe mental health issues. The pattern was similar: hospitalizations for mental health problems increased during PhD studies and decreased only after the fifth year. This suggests that the mental health problems associated with PhD studies are not just mild stress or burnout — they can develop into more serious, long-term conditions.
Women, older students, and those with a previous history of mental health problems were more likely to need psychiatric care during their studies.
Women were 1.67 times more likely than men to begin taking psychiatric medication during their PhD, and those over 30 at the start of their studies were 1.5 times more likely to seek treatment than their younger peers. These findings suggest that certain demographic factors may make some students more vulnerable to the pressures of PhD life.
Interestingly, the study found no significant difference in mental health outcomes between PhD students funded by scholarships and those formally employed by their university. However, students employed by external companies were 28% less likely to need psychiatric medication, possibly due to better job security or less career uncertainty outside the academic track.
No simple fix
While the mental health of PhD students has received increasing attention in recent years, the scope of the problem is larger than previously understood. This has clearly become a systemic problem with no clear, simple solution in sight.
Universities must take a hard look at how they structure PhD programs and the support systems they offer students. This could involve providing more funding, less pressure to produce results, more mental health resources, and fostering a sense of community (as opposed to competition). Programs can aim at reducing the isolation many PhD students feel and provide clearer career guidance to help alleviate the uncertainty that plagues so many.
Moreover, supervisors play a critical role in the well-being of their students. Poor supervisory relationships have been highlighted as a significant factor in students’ mental health problems. Universities need to ensure that supervisors are trained to provide not just academic guidance, but also emotional support when needed.
But even universities can’t solve this on their own. The wider academic community needs to recognize the toll that the current system takes on young researchers and work toward creating an environment that fosters well-being, rather than exacerbating stress. Is that likely to happen? No. But at least we’re talking about it.
Academia has long prided itself on its rigorous, almost sink-or-swim culture, where only the most resilient make it to the other side. However, as more data shows the real human cost of this approach, we need to start looking for a shift.
The conversation has begun. Hopefully, it will lead to progress.