Location: Jülich, Germany
Status: Researcher, Power systems
Why do you think mental health in academia is important? As exciting as it sounds to do research, working in academia can be detrimental to someone’s mental health. Due to different psychological, societal and systemic factors, academic environments are encouraged and do reproduce toxic and abusive conditions that are also hard to change or escape from. The specific form and intensity may differ depending on the local culture; however, the main drivers, principles and effects appear to be similar internationally. Of course, mental health is crucial for the performance and well-being of the people involved; nevertheless, it can become even more important considering the role and expectations of academics in our society. I am mostly concerned about people who have been abused and traumatized (especially minorities), since it seems that many of them fit very well and are actually attracted to such conditions, with worrying results about their health.