Making mental health a priority

Long working hours, short-term contracts and uncertainty affect all sections of society. In academia, they are taken as standard parts of life, only with an added fear of failure, isolation and a constant struggle for funding. It therefore comes as no surprise that many postgraduate researchers suffer from mental health conditions.

Thankfully, higher education institutions (HEIs) are beginning to acknowledge the problem and take steps to offer much-needed support. Last year, Universities UK published a framework for mental health, which proposes a whole university approach to looking after students and staff. The framework makes mental health a ‘strategic priority’ and calls for early intervention, with campaigns against stigma and mental health literacy training for staff and students.