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Intrapersonal Wellbeing and the Academic Mental Health Crisis

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Wellbeing in Doctoral Education

Abstract

By synthesising literature from various studies, this chapter demonstrates that there is currently a mental health crisis in academia. Indeed, the authors highlight that academia has one of the highest incidences of mental illness when compared with other occupations. Furthermore, they discuss the factors that contribute to this mental health crisis, including work demands, the increasing pressure to compete for research funding and publish in high-impact journals, a lack of work–life balance, isolation, career and financial insecurity, interpersonal conflicts, and a lack of support systems. Therefore, the authors highlight the need for strategies that staff and students can incorporate into their own academic journeys to help them foster intrapersonal wellbeing.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Vista Bhopti for sharing her clinical psychology expertise during the preparation of this chapter. We also acknowledge the MBio Discovery Scholarship that enabled Ricky Wai Kiu Lau to conduct his doctoral studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Ricky Wai Kiu Lau

  2. Faculty of Education, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Lynette Pretorius

Authors
  1. Ricky Wai Kiu Lau
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  2. Lynette Pretorius
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Correspondence to Lynette Pretorius .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Lynette Pretorius  & Luke Macaulay  & 

  2. Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Basil Cahusac de Caux

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Lau, R.W.K., Pretorius, L. (2019). Intrapersonal Wellbeing and the Academic Mental Health Crisis. In: Pretorius, L., Macaulay, L., Cahusac de Caux, B. (eds) Wellbeing in Doctoral Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9302-0_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9302-0_5

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  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-9302-0

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