NATIONAL STATISTICS

Graduate students experience disproportionately high mental
health distress1

  • 41% report moderate to severe anxiety
  • 39% report moderate to severe depression
  • 15% of graduate students will suffer from serious suicide ideation2
  • Rates are significantly higher than the general adult
    population (2/3 higher than the population)

Graduate Programs Often Don’t Have Adequate Mental Health Support For Students3

  • 40% of students claim they feel no mental health support
    from their institution
  • 34% claim if their university has mental health services, it
    does not help

Mental Health Impacts Academic and Career Outcomes3

  • 50% of students report their reason for dropping out is
    due to mental health concerns
  • 29% claim they have failed a class or exam due to mental
    health struggles

RESOURCES

  • 988 (Text or Call) : National Suicide Hotline
  • https://www.samhsa.gov/ : Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration
  • https://locator.apa.org/?_ga=1.122738379.1939913089.1455299072 : Find a Psychologist
  • https://www.thehotline.org/ : National Domestic Violence Hotline
  • https://mhankyswoh.org/ : Mental Health Resources for Ohio
  • https://www.gcbhs.com/ : Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Science
  • https://www.nami.org/ : National Alliance of Mental Health
  • https://mhanational.org/ : Mental Health America
  • https://needs.relink.org/ : Resource Database

Refrences:

  1. SenthilKumar, Gopika, et al. “Addressing the Decline in Graduate Students’ Mental Well-Being.”
    American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, vol. 325, no. 4, 1 Oct. 2023, pp.
    H882–H887, https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.00466.2023. ↩︎
  2. Marianna Poli, Sophia Russotto, Michele Fornaro, Xenia Gonda, Jorge Lopez-Castroman, Fabio Madeddu, Patrizia Zeppegno, Carla Gramaglia, Raffaella Calati,
    Suicide risk among residents and PhD students: A systematic review of the literature,
    Journal of Psychiatric Research,
    Volume 181,
    2025,
    Pages 433-462,
    ISSN 0022-3956,
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.12.013.
    (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395624007155)
    Abstract: Residents and PhD students (any discipline) are susceptible to various mental health issues, including suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This systematic review aimed to (1) estimate the prevalence of suicide-related outcomes among residents/PhD students and (2) assess the associated variables. PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases were searched for articles documenting quantitative information about suicide-related outcomes among residents and PhD students from inception until April 30, 2023. Sixty studies were included. Estimates of the current prevalence of the following suicide-related outcomes were: death wishes (DW), 9.1%; suicidal ideation (SI), 8.6%; suicidal planning (SP), 3.2%; non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), 1.9%; suicide attempt(s) (SA), .8%. Additionally, estimates of the lifetime prevalence were: lifetime SI (L-SI), 25.9%; lifetime SP (L-SP), 10.0%; lifetime SA (L-SA), 3.1%. Depression, burnout, hopelessness, loneliness, low quality of the relationship with the supervisor and experiencing workplace mistreatment frequently co-occurred with the assessed outcomes. Many outcomes (DW, SI, SP, L-SI, L-SP, L-SA) had a higher prevalence compared to the general population, while some (SI, NSSI, SA) were lower compared to undergraduates. Interventions for individuals at risk in this population are vital together with the modification of the work environment and the promotion of a supportive academic and professional culture to reduce suicide risk.
    Keywords: Mental health; Postgraduate students; Postgraduate education; Work environment; Psychological well-being ↩︎
  3. Harmony Healthcare IT. “College and Mental Health Statistics: Half of Students Skip Class due to
    Mental Health Struggles.” Healthcare Data Management Software & Services | Harmony Healthcare
    IT, Harmony Healthcare IT, 15 July 2024, www.harmonyhit.com/college-student-mental-health
    stats/. ↩︎