Today I met with friends, all of us Ph.D. students. Me, nearly on the finish line, a few others having a couple of years to go, and one who was just starting.
I felt at ease when I realize that discussing the ups and downs of our Ph.D.s was like second nature and there was no shame behind it. For example, one of us was narrating that in the past 4 years he changed labs twice - he is now in his third lab. The first time because his adviser was abusive with his students. The second time, because he was in a lab that there was no publication output. He told us that he is currently in a much better situation. But by telling his 4-years story in 15 minutes, it is easy to oversee the emotional and physical pain that he likely went through.
He finished his story by sharing that the Ph.D. really got him in his mind more than in any physical way. Then, one of us started to share our experiences about going to therapy and how it did not work for a few trials until she found the right person to take care of her. I find that to be true, with a therapist, one really needs to find a person that is very compatible with the situation that one is going through, and that may take a few trials and errors.
After chatting about the roles of therapists during our Ph.D., a good friend mentioned that at the beginning of graduate studies, the department should assign each of us an adviser and a therapist, right off from the start. I agree with him - it is true that there is a lot of stigma around seeing a mental health specialist, even here in the U.S.A.
But, maybe! if it comes from an institutional point of view, then maybe more graduate students will be ok about talking sharing mental health problems, and working with a therapist indeed.