Health And Wellness

Episode 5. "Like an Empty Shell": Living with Depression in Grad School

Graduate students are more likely than most people to experience depression — a disorder that can have devastating effects on our thoughts and behaviour. In this episode, a recent PhD student explains what depression felt like, and how she reached out for help. Note: Contains discussions of suicidal thoughts and other troubling subjects.

Suman Varghese and Rob Desjardins - 20 September 2021

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Resources

Suicide Crisis Lines

Edmonton
Canadian Mental Health Association Distress Line 780-482-4357 (HELP)

Canada
Canada Suicide Prevention Service 1-833-456-4566

United States
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

Other Regions
For a list of services in your region and around the world, access the “List of suicide crisis lines” on this Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines

Articles

The Emotional Toll of Graduate School

Puri, Prateek. “The Emotional Toll of Graduate School.” Scientific American, Observations blog, January 31, 2019.

Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidal Ideation among Ph.D. Students

Satinsky, Emily N. et al. “Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidal Ideation Among Ph.D. Students.” Nature: Scientific Reports 11 (2021), accessed Sept. 18, 2021,

Dealing with Depression

Depression & Coping Strategies

Counselling and Clinical Services, University of Alberta (n.d.). My Mental Health: Depression. Edmonton: University of Alberta.

A Psychologist's Guide to Graduate School

Maertz, Kim (n.d.). A Psychologist’s Survival Guide to Graduate School. Edmonton: Counselling and Clinical Services, University of Alberta.

Managing Depression During Self-Isolation

Counselling and Clinical Services, University of Alberta (n.d.). My Mental Health: Managing Depression in Self-Isolation. Edmonton: University of Alberta.

Coping with Depression

Smith, Melinda, Lawrence Robinson, and Jeanne Segal. 2021. Coping with Depression. HelpGuide.org.

Helping Someone With Depression

Smith, Melinda, Lawrence Robinson, and Jeanne Segal. 2021. Helping Someone with Depression. HelpGuide.org.