A New Book Looks At Mental Health In Higher Education

The article, Mental Health among Higher Education Faculty, Administrators, and Graduate Students, discusses the issue of how many academics who experience mental discomfort or mental illness are reluctant to come out due to social stigma and concerns about possible career implications. The book makes the case that attempts to comprehend academics' experiences through research or popular media, or to build tailored mental health services and institutional regulations, are complicated by academics' reluctance to openly acknowledge their issues.

Dr. Housel adds that in addition to discussing health and wellness, fairness, workload expectations and productivity, and campus diversity, it is important to discuss chronic disease and disability, which includes mental health and mental illness. Her observations of the frequent stigmatization of mental health conditions in academia served as inspiration for the book. According to Dr. Housel, if a person has a propensity for common mental health issues like anxiety or depression, they may be activated in this circumstance.

Writings by Dr. Housel are also influenced by her personal struggles with anxiety. She eloquently explains her upbringing in rural Ohio throughout the 1970s and 1980s by a single parent in the book's foreword. When she was in her early 40s, she acknowledges that she tried to deal with her anxiety by pursuing a career in academics, but that approach had failed. She ultimately sought treatment from an anxiety counselor who assisted her in developing more effective coping mechanisms. She also hopes that the first-hand accounts of many of the book's contributors and the study's participants would reassure others that they are not alone if they are going through mental health issues or suffering.