Ppl are opening up more abt #depression, but in #academia there's still such a stigma. Partly b/c we're oftn indoctrinated to see #mentalhealth issues as signs of weakness. Academia takes its toll on our minds & bodies in ways we don’t oftn think abt. https://bit.ly/36oAACE 2/24
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We force ourselves to push thu & often mental play games that help us get from 1 academic challenge to next in pursuit of degrees, PhDs, jobs, tenure, etc. We find ways to compete w/ ourselves &others. We create &perpetuate competition instead of support systems in our fields. 3/
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This helps perpetuate abuse in academia as well. While we are busy competing & forcing ourselves to push through & forward, we put ourselves under so much pressure. For what?
#Academia is lonely. Pursing a PhD is a lonely pursuit. It’s all on you. 4/24#MentalHealthMattersShow this thread -
The work, deadlines, publications, innovative ideas, finding ways to stand out from the crowd, etc. https://bit.ly/34cRIKf What often happens is we sacrifice our wellbeing & our
#mentalhealth pays a price in ways we may not realize. We lose part of ourselves. 5/24Show this thread -
I have a friend who expresses academic struggles on social media. My kneejerk reaction was this person was weak. I’m guilty & part of the problem when it comes to stigma of
#mentalhealth in academia. It’s a hard habit to break that way of thinking. 6/24pic.twitter.com/M3l4vRI5DxShow this thread -
I’m learning to understand how expressing struggles provides a support system & comfort for ppl. It’s not weakness, it’s strength. It’s also abt listening. If we don’t create those networks of support in & outside of academia, our minds can go to dark places. 7/24
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We need to start talking/listening to each other. https://bit.ly/2LN7Mfo People like me who internalize, who have always compartmentalized things & are highly competitive need to start admitting that everyone deals with work, life & academia differently. 8/24
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What I realize too is that this is about respect & understanding. There is no shame or weakness involved in
#depression or#mentalhealthissues. Being or thinking we're tough enough & can handle stress in academia & everyone else should be able to deal with pressures is 9/24Show this thread -
part of the problem & perpetuates stigmas abt mental health. It’s also needlessly abusing ourselves. Academia is really in a crisis right now in this regard. Departments need to do more for colleagues. There are 2 other issues about mental illness that I’m learning abt. 10/24
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One is gender bias. Society associates women w/ depression—again tied to weakness. This is untrue. We’ve created such a toxic environment that men in academia struggle to speak abt these issues or their own struggles. his is compounded if you are a Black man or a man of color. 11
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Often ppl will tell PoC abt their
#mentalhealth issues as though this is foreign to PoC. PoC can have mental health issues too. This is a really good article about Black men being allowed to speak about mental health. https://bit.ly/38vRn8W 12/24Show this thread -
Here’s a long term study on how Black boys and men suffer from
#mentalillness due to#racism: https://bit.ly/38wQT2k#mentalhealth#blacklivesmatter
13/24 #MentalHealthAwareness#MentalHealthMattersShow this thread -
In discussing
#mentalhealth with a colleague I wondered why we were handling similar circumstances so differently. Part of this is reflected in#racism. Hear me out. PoC experience racism so frequently that we internalize a lot of it. 14/24#MentalHealthAwareness#PhDlifeShow this thread -
Not very many of us can afford or can find a good psychologist to talk about these things openly. Here’s a toolkit for
#racism &#mentalhealth in workplaces: https://bit.ly/2PdPplL 15/24#MentalHealthAwareness#MentalHealthMatters#AcademicTwitterShow this thread -
So we learn to repress those experiences from early on & maybe this is passed down. We don’t actually think about how racism affects
#mentalhealth, but it does. Even for us PoC we don’t think about it enough. 16/24#MentalHealthMattersShow this thread -
So ppl often tell me or other PoC abt their
#mentalhealth issues as though PoC can’t have mental health issues too. Even getting a proper diagnosis as a Black person or POC is more difficult. Often misdiagnosed or can’t even get one at all. See here: https://medium.com/@realtalkwocandallies/families-of-color-face-challenges-when-seeking-treatment-for-mental-illness-46ddc0cbd938 … 17/24Show this thread -
#Mentalhealth issues don’t have to be related to#racism for PoC. Like anyone else, they can struggle with#depression or other#mentalhealth issues for any given reason. We are all different. So this brings me to my final point. 18/24#MentalHealthAwareness#MentalHealthMattersShow this thread -
Some white people use their mental health issues as an excuse for their own
#racism. Sometimes it is unintentional. Sometimes it is not. Your#mentalhealth issues are not a shield. https://bit.ly/2PBkmzq ##sexism#academiclife 19/24#MentalHealthAwarenessShow this thread -
If you struggle with
#mentalhealth you aren’t alone. You aren’t weak. And if you are a PoC who struggles with mental health, white colleagues need to be more supportive because awareness of PoC who struggle is most definitely not something on people’s radars enough. 20/24Show this thread -
We can’t fix these issues, but we can help each other & prevent the next generation from having these struggles alone. This part IS preventable. Advisors support your grad students. Listen to them. Colleagues support each other. Here are some tips: https://bit.ly/2RKsDnu 21/24
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Some of our struggles are the same. We really need to do more in
#academia to help each other. We go thru our PhDs alone, but we end up in a community or should be. We often maintain that “I” mentality, but we shouldn’t struggle alone. 22/24#AcademicTwitter#MentalHealthMattersShow this thread -
Basically academia isnt doing enough to support its students and staff when it comes to
#mentalhealth. Academia has a crisis and I guess we need to start speaking openly about this issue. 23/24#MentalHealthAwareness#AcademicTwitterShow this thread -
If you have ways that us people (or I) can support my colleagues who struggle with
#mentalhealth let me know.#commit2change 24/24#academicchatter#academictwitter#MentalHealthMatterspic.twitter.com/936AEv34UJShow this thread
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