80% PhD Students Face Anxiety & Other Mental Illnesses: IIT Survey

PhD students have it tough - that is a widely acknowledged fact.?

But now, there's data to prove it.?

According to a survey by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur, approximately 80 percent of individuals pursuing PhD programs have encountered mental health issues, and 60 percent have contemplated dropping out of the research program at least once.?

Representative image/ AFP

What are the challenges that PhD students face??

80 per cent of survey participants reported experiencing "anxiety" and various "mental illnesses" during their PhD programs.?

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However, simultaneously, more than 34 percent are actively working to overcome these challenges.?

Many point out discriminatory policies by guides who indulge in “favouritism”, “elitism” and “casteism”.?

Trouble on campus: PhD students are struggling?

On January 18, in a tragic incident, a 29-year-old PhD student at IIT-Kanpur, Priyanka Jaiswal, took her own life by hanging herself from the ceiling fan in her hostel room on the campus.?

On January 11, 31-year-old Vikas Kumar Meena, a second-year MTech student, committed suicide after being “temporarily” barred from the course because of poor academic performance.?

In yet another incident that occurred on December 19, 34-year-old Pallavi Chilka who was pursuing postdoctoral research from the department of biosciences and bioengineering at IIT-K took her won life.?

IIT Kanpur/ Education Post

In light of the suicides, the students are advocating for alterations in the academic domain, such as an expedited thesis review, bi-semester evaluations, and the establishment of an ombudsman panel comprising faculty, an external member, and student representatives.?

Comprehensive survey?

The survey, which was published following these incidents of suicide, is based on responses from 200 research scholars on IIT Kanpur campus.

The questions asked were around mental health issues, covering academic, social, financial as well as personal aspects of the life of research scholars.?

The survey was carried out in July 2023 and constituted 74.2 per cent males and 25.3 per cent females. The result of the survey was published on January 18.??

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