Questions tagged [health]
On physical and psychological health issues affecting academics and researchers, including impact of illness on research output or grades, health-related side effects of the academic lifestyle, health insurance for those employed in academia, etc. Use 'medicine', not 'health-issues', for questions on health and medicine as an academic discipline or field of study.
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Obligations of Scottish Universities in regards to assessments for dyslexia and dyspraxia
Dyslexia and dyspraxia can be an issue for students in academic or practical aspects of their course. Sometimes it is undiagnosed, for example because the student cannot afford the cost of a ...
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Screen readers for arXiv/ar5iv?
I am dyslexic and often struggle with reading and comprehension. Screen readers, such as VoiceOver on Macs, can be helpful in addressing these difficulties.
However, mathematics in arXiv papers can ...
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I feel like I didn't deserve to pass an exam [duplicate]
Recently I did my retake exam for Advanced Maths in college. Compared to the ordinary exam, it was easier. My grade was 9/10. I worked very hard for it, non-stop for 5 months, dealing with anxiety and ...
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Should I mention a previous burnout if it comes up in an interview for a PhD?
During my masters I experienced a burnout and as a result of that my masters took 3 years instead of the usual 2 years. I will have an interview soon for a PhD position and one of the questions that ...
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I have bad GRE scores because of a disability, but cannot afford the cost to prove that I need accommodations for the test. What can I do?
I am applying for a PhD in Sociology. My schools "require" scores of about 300ish and I scored 270. My reason for the poor score is that ETS requires medical tests I cannot afford (more than ...
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How to deal with terrible research and poor mental health?
I'm a master student employed at a company as a co-op intern. For the first half to two-thirds of the program I had really poor mental health and had extreme difficulty to focus on anything. I only ...
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Responsibility to report Health and Safety concerns
I'm a Ph.D. student who has recently become aware of several health and safety hazards in my lab, which I have been unable to address with my supervisor/other lab members. These hazards include ...
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How not to get jealous with people in academia and research which are more sucessful than me? [duplicate]
I am a 2nd year research masters student in a University in Europe. My nationality is not European or North American. I will try getting admission in PhD after completing this.
In childhood and ...
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How to talk with advisor about leaving/changing PhD? [duplicate]
I need some advice as I’ve been struggling a lot with the mental battles of doing a Ph.D. It's now come to a point where I’m considering quitting, because I’ve almost finished 1/3 years without much ...
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My students are leaving notes on exam about their difficulties and mental health. How to proceed?
This is the first semester in which classes aren't online anymore after the pandemic where I lecture (For information, this is in Brazil, and English is not my mother language). It's been two years of ...
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How would a really professional superviser perceives about a honest but ADHD/behavioral disorder student (especially undiagnosed) [closed]
Ability to get a Recommendation letter / other career success often requires good perception by teachers. But when a large number of professors aren't very insightful, they tend to prioritise traits ...
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For inclusiveness sake, what is the consensus about which usage of "blind" should be changed?
In academic contexts, what is the consensus on whether we should avoid using "blind" as a category of persons, or should we avoid using it as an adjective (or both or none)? Does it vary ...
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Should I mention recovered depression in my SOP for grad school? [duplicate]
I am currently working as a software engineer for two years, and recently I decides to apply for grad school.
One thing that I am worried about is that my transcript looks terrible in the last year of ...
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How to get rid of the awkwardness and feeling of inferiority for being a fairly old graduate/PHD student? [duplicate]
I am a first year MS student in an STEM area. For many reasons I didn't enter this subject area and didn't gain ANY research experience until last summer, when I was 26 (now 27). So starting next fall ...
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How can I finish my PhD in the next year when I don't have any interesting results yet?
I'm doing my PhD in mathematics (Germany) for four years, and I have agreed with my supervisor that I should finish within the next half a year.
I am not very confident that this is a realistic ...
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How can I politely request a professor to avoid late evening/night classes?
Background: I am a junior undergrad math major in India, and I am taking a graduate-level math course this semester for which attendance is mandatory. This is the last week of instruction (i.e., ...
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How can we persuade university in England to minimize the number of staff involved, for daughter's request to extend maximum study period?
My daughter needs to extend maximum period of study, by reason of physical and mental MultiComorbidities. Her program manager emailed her the procedure like Nottingham University's.
Students do not ...
user155517
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Is it normal to feel like my level is more like at the undergraduate level though I'm a PhD student?
I'm in my first year of PhD, but sometimes I forget basic concepts that I have learned in my undergraduate years. I have a masters but my masters was general not specific, and now I'm working in a ...
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3
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Prolonging PhD to make up for low-productivity caused by poor mental health [closed]
There are several posts on this site about potentially leaving a PhD program due to mental health issues (e.g. 1, 2, 3), and these issues can impede productivity. Seeking help from a mental health ...
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Why would a university permit a disabled student to Gmail with university staff, in lieu of her official university email (ending in .edu or .ac.uk)?
I ask out of curiosity. I have never seen this exception before! I know I shall not ask any student about their disability. My university is in the Anglosphere.
Using their @universitydomain.edu, a ...
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3
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How to change to a part-time lecturer in the UK
Currently a full-time senior lecturer in a UK university (post-1992, lower middle-ranking if it matters).
I am thinking of going part-time (0.8 or even 0.6) due to physical or/and mental health. Not ...
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Got caught faking hospital papers [closed]
I am fourth year mathematics students. I couldn't attend two of my final exams due to my depression, the situation made me feel worse so and I felt like it was over if I failed. I cannot afford to pay ...
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Mental health tips for transitioning from PhD to postdoc
I finished my PhD in physics in the middle of last year in the UK, and have started my postdoc in Germany. My PhD had a lot of guidance and I met with my supervisor every week, but it's totally ...
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How to ask my supervisor to "take the wheel" following a nervous breakdown?
I am in the third year of a STEM PhD at a top university. My supervisors have all been very happy with my progress since my project started in Oct 2019, and thanks in part to antidepressants and other ...
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How to deal with fear, anxiety and limiting beliefs while waiting for PhD admissions decisions?
So, it is January 2022 and like me, many are waiting to hear back from the universities to which we applied last month. This period feels like purgatory. Since I am an International student, I didn't ...
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1 month pregnant and offered a postdoc: when to disclose pregnancy? [closed]
I work in bioinformatics (almost no lab work) in Europe. I have been offered a Postdoc position in California and just found out that I am pregnant. What should I do? Should I disclose my pregnancy ...
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Doing a physical science or maths PhD with dyslexia
Some background
Dyslexia is a specific learning disorder, which is often characterised by a e.g. difficulty reading (e.g. comprehension), writing, and with pronunciation. A common misconception about ...
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Peer reviewing with dyslexia
Background
I am a postdoc in theoretical physics and have severe dyslexia. A consequence of my dyslexia is that I have a very low reading ability and comprehension level - in the lowest 1st percentile....
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How can I convince British university to reverse their refusal to let me remote study?
How do I change British university's mind? I don't want to argue or get into a debate. For privacy, I prefer not to disclose more details. The course isn't science or medicine, so there are not many ...
user148927
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Survive the postdoc stage having ADHD
I made it to a rather high level in Academia (I'm a senior postdoc at the moment) but now I am stuck at this level (doing my 6th postdoc in 7 years). I was performing quite well when I had more or ...
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How does extra time for disability apply to take home University essays, lab reports, etc. that are scheduled ahead of time? [closed]
Timed exams are a large part of university courses' curriculum and grades but another part is work that is assigned to be done outside of class on the student's own time. Could be scientific lab ...
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Can I request for a change of a musical piece assigned to me due to physical discomfort?
I wonder if this is going to sound silly, I'd rather vent this anonymously online first before taking any action in the real world... I'm doing a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing and part of our ...
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Help with becoming overly obsessive (about mathematics)
TLDR: I love mathematics but can't find a way to study/do research without becoming unhealthily obsessive. Any tips on how not to think about mathematics all the time, on how to manage intrusive ...
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How can I recover (academically) from a significant (physical) injury?
I am a young academic – I accepted a permanent academic position at the start of this year. I wrote a very large number of grant applications, and got "my big break" with a large, multi-...
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If I quit my PhD due to mental health concerns, what are the chances I can do a grad program (later) at a different university?
TW: Depression/suicide
TL;DR Thinking of quitting my PhD; Don't want to because of the perception that I'd be closing some doors on my future, but in my heart of hearts I know it's probably in my best ...
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Extreme pressure due to constant demands for results is causing health problems
I am facing extreme anxiety and not enough sleep. My group always wants results. Every two weeks, you must have new results. Being sick is not accepted. I feel so drained and tired. There are constant ...
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How to Deal with Demanding Parents
I am currently a 5th year PhD student in math at an American university. I was talking with my parents recently and I told them that I had come to terms with the possibility of me not graduating with ...
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The unreasonable effectiveness of physical exercise for post graduate student? [closed]
I am a graduate student who is currently doing a lot of research works. I understand that academia is a stressful place and it is normal to feel unmotivated and depressed. Recently, I have incorporate ...
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Low productivity and diminished mental health
I am a fourth year PhD student in CS department. After experiencing a series of events that transpired, my mental health diminished significantly. I've lost motivation and interest in my work.
Here's ...
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Are you allowed to do scientific research on a mental disorder, if you have said mental disorder, and it is not registered in the DSM-5?
I have symptoms of a mental health disorder not registered in the DSM-5 called 'maladaptive daydreaming disorder'. In order for this to be able to get into the DSM-5, more research needs to be done on ...
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How to bring up disabled access requirements in postdoc application
I am currently applying for a postdoc, after a 2.5 year period of illness during my PhD. For most of that time I wasn't really able to work at all. In the last 6-months or so I have been able to work ...
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How to explain bad bachelor grades due to mental health issues in PhD application?
There have been similar questions but I believe my question is somewhat unique.
I want to apply to a PhD program in Physics somewhere in North America. I have now completed both my bachelor's and my ...
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Does accessing a paper through an alternative format require citation or acknowledgment?
Many universities have service bureaus where one can obtain media in alternative formats (e.g. see the University of Colorado). These offices can transform books and articles into different formats ...
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Learning Disabled Students and Untenable Instructor Workloads
I am an instructor at a community college in California. On occasion, a student with a documented learning disability will sign up for one of my courses. I do my best to provide them the additional ...
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What are the effective working routines for taking breaks while working?
I want to know the details regarding taking (short) breaks in the context of studying or research. So, I read an article titled The Science of Taking a Break. This question is focused on the aspect of ...
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Why don't PhD students work in pairs?
I will speak from my experience as an integrated-Masters graduate in Physics in UK, but I think this is applicable to any discipline.
Universities got it right when it comes to laboratory experiments ...
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Should I avoid telling my PhD supervisor that I have started taking antidepressants (due to some issues in my personal life)?
I have not been having a good time in my personal life over the last ~9 months, and I’m currently having therapy (fortnightly) and taking antidepressants. I don’t have a depression diagnosis but I ...
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Is it appropriate and/or reasonable to ask for period leave to a potential PhD advisor?
I'm a female undergraduate student applying to graduate school in the US this year, and I am in the process of contacting potential PhD advisors to enquire about positions in their labs, the nature of ...
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Seeking accommodations because of mental health. How to proceed?
A person I care about has problems with depression and anxiety and is starting a PhD soon. She has some questions I was not able to answer, so I was hoping you could give some advice. It is in a ...
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I have wasted 1.5 years of postdoc on self-doubts and depression. Is my research career doomed?
I continued with a postdoc with my PhD advisor on a tangential topic as my PhD work.
I spent the first 6 months in getting my PhD papers out. I have 4 papers from my 5.5 years PhD and 1 first authored ...
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