A study by The Young Academy revealed last month that one in four academics in the Netherlands experiences symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. Young academics in particular experience symptoms such as low mood, insomnia, tension or excessive worrying.
What can we do to improve researchers’ mental health? That’s the question being discussed at a meeting of The Young Academy at the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam, home to the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The audience members are also given pen and paper. What are their own ideas for improving researchers’ mental health? All ideas are welcome.
Cognitive skills
According to Marie-José van Tol, professor of cognitive neuropsychiatry and former chair of The Young Academy, mental health issues aren’t just a problem for the academics themselves. This is because symptoms affect certain cognitive skills. People may, for example, struggle to concentrate and find it more difficult to adapt their thinking to new situations. This also ‘costs’ a lot of money, as academics go on sick leave or become less productive.
Various speakers suggest ideas to tackle the problem. Jantine Schuit, rector magnificus of Erasmus University Rotterdam, criticises the strong emphasis on individual achievements in academia, such as publishing scientific articles, securing grants and climbing the academic ladder.
According to Schuit, we should focus less on individual achievements and more on what someone contributes to the group or to society. This would also create a stronger sense of community, she argues, rather than just competition. The study by The Young Academy has already shown that a large social network can contribute to the mental health of academics.
Leadership
Good leadership also plays a role in this. According to Marjan Olfers, a legal scholar and professor of sport and law at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the system needs to change what it rewards: “If publications, grants and visibility determine career progression, while good supervision is treated as a secondary concern, we shouldn’t be surprised if we’re still talking about this problem in five or ten years’ time.”
In addition, several speakers point out that, in their view, those in leadership positions face little accountability. Olfers also mentions the problem of ‘unofficial leaders’ in the academic world. For example, a professor who has recently secured a grant worth millions can often exert considerable influence indirectly. But who holds that person accountable?
Too many PhD candidates
But even if you improve the leadership skills of senior academics, all sorts of problems will nonetheless remain. Martijn van der Meer, chair of the PhD Network Netherlands, points to the issue of supervisors having too many PhD candidates under their wing and therefore not having enough time for them. The PhD candidates suffer as a result.
Above all, Van der Meer wants to avoid making it the individual’s responsibility to solve the problem: “Let’s not start organising mindfulness courses just to make academics more resilient.”
The Young Academy is an influential association of (relatively) young leading academics. Minister of Education Rianne Letschert was also a member.