I think it has to come down to trust. My supervisor has asked me if he can reuse tiny pieces of things I've found out along the way, and then only with my full consent. But otherwise I trust him not to abuse the findings, and to respect that it's my work for my PhD.

Also I'm not sure that putting disclaimers would be any use. If a supervisor was planning to abuse the trust then disclaimers probably wouldn't stop them.

Counselling's a good idea. Another option I used when I was going through a really difficult patch was to speak to the university chaplain. I'm agnostic, so this was a bit radical! But I was facing the increased chance of dying very soon, and very suddenly. It made me incredibly detached from the everyday world and I found it very hard to get on with my PhD. The counsellors couldn't relate to the severity of what I was going through, but the chaplain could, and she was a huge support, in a very non-religious way which suited my circumstances. So that might be an option for you as well.

Just be honest with them. They're used to people having personal problems. You have big ones, and you're not over them yet. So just be honest and straightforward, and ask for help. You're not letting anyone down, certainly not your tutors, not your family, and - above all - not yourself.

The university authorities are there to help people get through problems. Don't be afraid to use their support.

I struggled throughout all my history degrees with incurable and progressive serious illness. If I had hid things from my tutors and supervisors and tried to put on a brave face I'd have struggled to reach my potential. So I'm speaking from bitter experience. I'm sure your tutor will understand. And don't think your distinction is out of the question. I managed one, amazingly, despite everything. You may do too. But take things one step at a time.

Good luck.

I've got a dementia-like illness so this is a major problem for me. I can barely remember much that I've done during my 6-year part-time PhD. Nor can I remember much of the secondary literature. There isn't much that I can do to overcome this. I'm just going to give it my best shot. The examiners are going to have to be primed about this and other disability issues in my case for the viva. Hoping for the best.

I got AHRC funding. It was incredibly competitive though. Apparently only 1 in 5 applicants succeeded. The system has changed a little since I won that, so I can't advise too much.

Oh and I was part-time, and self-funded my first year. I applied for funding part-way through then, and won it for the rest of my PhD.

That sounds like per-year if it's anything like my university. PhDs are expensive. Would you be able to apply for funding to help? If so you may need to get your application in much sooner than otherwise. If you are totally self-funding you could probably apply at just about any time.

I've recently recommended to staff in my department that details of this forum be passed onto other PGs in case they might find it useful as well. It's particularly beneficial for people like me who're away from the department, and so not able to get support from on-the-spot chats.

So if that happens I expect more people from my department to be online here, albeit probably - like me - under an assumed name.

I left a full-time PhD 13 years ago. It knocked my confidence for six, although like you I was totally convinced that I'd made the right decision, and had no doubts at all about that. I also went through a grieving process for what I'd lost, and that took some time to work through.

I left because I was long-term ill so going on to work or another full-time form of study was impossible. But I switched to a different subject (science -> humanities - some change!), with the OU, and I picked things up that way. Slowly over time the lost PhD didn't matter so much, and was in the past, and I had a new future. Not the same, very different, but worthy in itself.

But allow yourself time to grieve for what you've left as well, if you feel that need.

Good luck.

I've never given my supervisors a Christmas card. I wish them merry Christmas, but that's it.

I only give Christmas cards to family and extremely good friends. Oh and some neighbours.

Oh I'm with you in spirit! That's the best I can manage for now. Glad you're making good progress. Good luck with the rest of it.

I'm missing my nocturnal working! I sent a near-final draft of my thesis to my supervisor a week ago, and now I feel a bit lost! I still pop in now and again to see how other people are getting on. Good luck to everyone out there tonight.

I do plan on working a little over the next few weeks, finishing off my bibliography, and preparing my appendices. All vital stuff which needs to be done, and might as well be done sooner than later.

I'm another humanities student (history). Used to be a science PhD student, but that was half a lifetime ago. Now I've turned from the dark side - or is it the other way around?!

Excellent news TT!