https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03136-4 Skip to main content Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. Advertisement Advertisement Nature * View all journals * Search * Log in * Explore content * About the journal * Publish with us * Subscribe * Sign up for alerts * RSS feed 1. nature 2. news 3. article * NEWS * 01 October 2024 The huge toll of PhDs on mental health: data reveal stark effects PhD students in Sweden accessed mental-health services at increasing rates as their studies went on. By * Fred Schwaller 1. Fred Schwaller View author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar * Twitter * Facebook * Email A woman sleeps at a desk, slumped on an illuminated laptop. The pressure to collect data, generate results and find jobs can be overwhelming for doctoral researchers.Credit: PeopleImages/Getty A study of Swedish PhD candidates has shown the vast toll that doctoral studies can take on mental health. The survey adds robust data to discussions about the mental-health crisis in academia. Studies and anecdotal evidence have long shown that PhD students can experience immense pressure to publish and to find funding and jobs in a brutally competitive landscape. [d41586-024] How PhD students and other academics are fighting the mental-health crisis in science The analysis looked at the rates at which all Swedish PhD students were prescribed psychiatric drugs and were hospitalized for mental-health problems. It found that, on average, the longer they were doing doctoral studies the more they needed to access such services. By the fifth year of studies, the likelihood that PhD candidates needed mental-health medications had increased by 40%, compared with the year before study (see 'PhD pressures'). The study indicates that psychological health issues are "systemic and have been plaguing academia for many decades", says Wendy Ingram, founder of Dragonfly Mental Health, a global non-profit advocacy group in Bradenton, Florida. "Very few studies have looked at objective measures of mental health," says Ingram. PHD PRESSURES. Chart shows the percentage of PhD students in Sweden requiring medication for mental-health issues increases sharply after the start of their studies. Source: Ref. 1 Using Swedish administrative records from 2006-17, the authors tracked more than 20,000 PhD students before and after they started their programmes. This allowed the team to assess the direct effect of doctoral studies on students' mental health, says Eva Ranehill, a behavioural economist at University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and study co-author. The preprint^1, which is not yet peer-reviewed, was posted on the server SSRN. Mental-health medications The researchers compared the rate at which PhD students, people with master's degrees and a sample of the general population accessed mental-health services. Before starting a PhD, students and people with master's degrees used these services at similar rates. But use of psychiatric medicines, such as antidepressants and sedatives, increased among PhD students year-on-year during their studies. This peaked in the fourth and fifth years -- the average length of a PhD programme in most countries -- then fell in the sixth and seventh years. Those at highest risk of being prescribed psychiatric medication during PhD studies were women and people who'd taken such medicines before starting their programme. The authors found a similar pattern when they compared PhD students with a sample of the general population aged 18-70. Before beginning their programmes, PhD candidates used mental-health services less frequently than the general population, but by the end of their studies, the rates were the same. [d41586-024] A mental-health crisis is gripping science -- toxic research culture is to blame The study raises the question of whether academic environments are more intense than other sectors. Surveys^2^,^3 suggest that levels of anxiety and depression are higher among PhD students than the general population, but Ranehill says that it's too early to know whether these conditions occur more often in PhD students than in those with similarly demanding occupations. "We will start to address the different mental-health outcomes across different job sectors in future analysis of the Swedish data set," she says. Pressures build The study found that uptake in medication varied across academic fields. Those in natural sciences saw a 100% increase by the fifth year compared with pre-PhD levels, whereas those in the humanities and social sciences saw 40% and 50% increases, respectively. Medical students didn't see any uptick in prescriptions. Differing norms in disciplines might explain this, says Ranehill: "In some fields, you're very dependent on your supervisor. In others, you're more isolated. Many senior people do a lot to help, but some do the opposite." Rituja Bisen, a fifth-year PhD student in neurobiology at the University of Wurzburg in Germany, says that the pressure to get grants and publish papers affects people. "You need to generate data as quickly as possible, and the feeling of competition for funding and jobs can be very strong, even early in your PhD." [d41586-024] Mental health of graduate students sorely overlooked Bisen, who has also dealt with the added -- and common -- stress of moving countries for her PhD, says that she was lucky to have strong support from her principal investigator and department. But some of her friends in other departments struggled. "It doesn't matter how good a lab is; if it's coming out of a toxic work culture, it isn't worth it in the long run." Dragonfly, formed by volunteer academics in 2019, is piloting programmes to foster excellent mental health in 22 countries for more than 50,000 academics at different career stages. The programmes involve training with evidence-based approaches to improve mental health, and the group will publish results in 2026. Bisen says finding support networks in and out of the laboratory has helped her to safeguard her mental health. "I got into bouldering with a group of fellow biologists. We talk about stress and blow off steam. It's like a support group." doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03136-4 References 1. Bergvall, S., Fernstrom, C., Ranehill, E. & Sandberg, A. Preprint at SSRN https://ssrn.com/abstract=4920527 (2024). 2. Evans, T. M., Bira, L., Gastelum, J. B., Weiss, L. T. & Vanderford, N. L. Nature Biotechnol. 36, 282-284 (2018). Article PubMed Google Scholar 3. Keloharju, M., Knupfer S., Muller, D. & Tag, J. Res. Policy 53, 105078 (2024). Article Google Scholar Download references Reprints and permissions Related Articles * [d41586-024] A mental-health crisis is gripping science -- toxic research culture is to blame * [d41586-024] How PhD students and other academics are fighting the mental-health crisis in science * [d41586-024] Mental health of graduate students sorely overlooked * [d41586-024] The mental health of PhD researchers demands urgent attention * [d41586-024] Being a PhD student shouldn't be bad for your health Subjects * Psychiatric disorders * Scientific community Latest on: Psychiatric disorders Revolutionary drug for schizophrenia wins US approval Revolutionary drug for schizophrenia wins US approval News 27 SEP 24 Found: a brain-wiring pattern linked to depression Found: a brain-wiring pattern linked to depression News 04 SEP 24 Detecting hidden brain injuries Detecting hidden brain injuries Outlook 29 AUG 24 Scientific community How to win a Nobel prize: what kind of scientist scoops medals? How to win a Nobel prize: what kind of scientist scoops medals? News Feature 03 OCT 24 Nearly 50% of researchers quit science within a decade, huge study reveals Nearly 50% of researchers quit science within a decade, huge study reveals News 03 OCT 24 High-performers and specialists in neuroscience research High-performers and specialists in neuroscience research Nature Index 02 OCT 24 Nature Careers Jobs * Classified Advertising Executive Our Classified Advertising Executive is a fantastic role for those looking to progress their career in the world of print and online publishing. London - Hybrid working model Springer Nature Ltd [] * Senior Technician/Technician Casanal Group The laboratory of Dr Ana Casanal at the Structural Biology Research Centre (SBRC) at Human Technopole (HT) is looking for a research Senior Technician Milan (IT) Human Technopole [] * Two Postdoctoral fellows in Molecular Metabolism The Institute of Biomedicine is involved in both research and education. In both of these areas, we focus on fundamental knowledge of the living ce... Gothenburg (Stad), Vastra Gotaland (SE) University of Gothenburg * Nanjing Forestry University Recruits Metasequoia Scholars and Metasequoia Talents Worldwide Forestry Engineering, Forestry, Landscape Architecture (peak disciplines), Ecology, Agriculture and Forestry Economic Management, Design... Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Nanjing Forestry University (NFU) [] * Process Optimization Manager The Process Optimization Manager is responsible for enhancing the operational efficiency of the editorial workflows for APS journals. United States (US) American Physical Society [] You have full access to this article via your institution. Download PDF Related Articles * [d41586-024] A mental-health crisis is gripping science -- toxic research culture is to blame * [d41586-024] How PhD students and other academics are fighting the mental-health crisis in science * [d41586-024] Mental health of graduate students sorely overlooked * [d41586-024] The mental health of PhD researchers demands urgent attention * [d41586-024] Being a PhD student shouldn't be bad for your health Subjects * Psychiatric disorders * Scientific community Advertisement Sign up to Nature Briefing An essential round-up of science news, opinion and analysis, delivered to your inbox every weekday. Email address [ ] [ ] Yes! Sign me up to receive the daily Nature Briefing email. I agree my information will be processed in accordance with the Nature and Springer Nature Limited Privacy Policy. Sign up * Close Nature Briefing Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter -- what matters in science, free to your inbox daily. Email address [ ] Sign up [ ] I agree my information will be processed in accordance with the Nature and Springer Nature Limited Privacy Policy. Close Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing Explore content * Research articles * News * Opinion * Research Analysis * Careers * Books & Culture * Podcasts * Videos * Current issue * Browse issues * Collections * Subjects * Follow us on Facebook * Follow us on Twitter * Subscribe * Sign up for alerts * RSS feed About the journal * Journal Staff * About the Editors * Journal Information * Our publishing models * Editorial Values Statement * Journal Metrics * Awards * Contact * Editorial policies * History of Nature * Send a news tip Publish with us * For Authors * For Referees * Language editing services * Submit manuscript Search Search articles by subject, keyword or author [ ] Show results from [All journals] Search Advanced search Quick links * Explore articles by subject * Find a job * Guide to authors * Editorial policies Nature (Nature) ISSN 1476-4687 (online) ISSN 0028-0836 (print) nature.com sitemap About Nature Portfolio * About us * Press releases * Press office * Contact us Discover content * Journals A-Z * Articles by subject * protocols.io * Nature Index Publishing policies * Nature portfolio policies * Open access Author & Researcher services * Reprints & permissions * Research data * Language editing * Scientific editing * Nature Masterclasses * Research Solutions Libraries & institutions * Librarian service & tools * Librarian portal * Open research * Recommend to library Advertising & partnerships * Advertising * Partnerships & Services * Media kits * Branded content Professional development * Nature Careers * Nature Conferences Regional websites * Nature Africa * Nature China * Nature India * Nature Italy * Nature Japan * Nature Middle East * Privacy Policy * Use of cookies * Your privacy choices/Manage cookies * Legal notice * Accessibility statement * Terms & Conditions * Your US state privacy rights Springer Nature (c) 2024 Springer Nature Limited