hey zingo, i was, and kind of still am, in the same position as you. I have been on academic leave since August 2006, after suffering from severe depression and anxiety which led to a complete breakdown. I started my phd in october 2004.

My suspension of studies ends in august but i have written to the uni telling them i'm coming back to give it one more shot- of course i am still plagued with doubts, with the 'what if it happens again?'

wow guys, thank you so much for your tips...they really are a massive help. Lara, that quote there makes so much sense now that i think about it!!

I've tried to organise myself and have singled out about two books that need to read fully as they are directly relevant to my topic, the rest can be skimmed through---my head feels lighter already

it takes a full day to read just one text- we are talking hours and hours of note taking. The thought of doing it for hundreds f books for my research is enough to get me down. No wonder i procrastinate so easily. Your suggestions sound very sensible and practical, thanks guys. Gonna be tough trying to change the way i read and take notes though, i have been studying that way since high school!!!

Thanks for suggesting the book title- i will need to look at it.

bit of a silly question but just wanted to ask for tips on reading. I have always tended to read a book cover to cover AND copy everything down (i always think i need to know every detail, if i don't write it down, then i will forget)...as you may hve guessed this is tedious and timeconsuming and leads to procrastination.

I think it was OK at undergrad level but at phd level when there are like a million books to be read in such little time its just not possible. Does anyone have any tips on skimreading etc

thanks guys for your birthday wishes

hey lara- birthday was ok, just the usual- the movie was a bit long, infact at times i found myself thinking about my studies lol. But it was a good movie, although jolie is scarily thin!

tomfinland, 'dating' with your work...memorable, maybe, definitely not nice- you've still got a month left, go get yourself a proper date, one that you will actually enjoy lol

lol...guess you guys are right. It's so difficult when you are doing something like this...it's hard to take a 'day off' when you keep on thinking that you have not even started working properly yet- feel like a bit of fraud..

But anyway, will take a few hours off---that new film Wanted with Angelina Jolie looks good, may go watch that (cineworld offers student discounts so that's my economising done for the day!!)

Cheers guys

27 today....and i'm studying, worrying, studying, worrying......sucks.

on the contrary, such frivolity is much needed on this forum- gives us some breathing space lol

yikes, am too in the same position- although my sup is supportive i still feel lost...i know it is not his job to take me b the hand and lead me to material and say 'here, research this', i just feel a bit overwhelmed because the material can be so vast and there is noone telling you to research the 'right way' so you never know where you are heading..

Lara, it really is comforting reading your posts- i have gone through a very similar phd experience- intimidation, fear etc.

PureHell, i was pretty naive too. I did one promising undergrad dissertation, and my department were like 'you'd be an excellent phd student' and i was like 'ok!'. My undergrad sup made the phd sound like a breeze and i foolishly believed him...word to future phders, do your research and actually know what a phd involves before you begin

i too am trying to economise at the moment- i'll be going to the BL in London every two weeks in July (i'm from scotland) so i've set aside accommodation, flight, food, travel in london, costs for the next 3 months. Gonna be so tough. For the times when i'm back in scotland, i live with my parents so i'm lucky that way.

I can only afford to go to London every two weeks, for 3-4 nights at a time- if i find out that i will need to visit for longer due to research...am just going to have to be that bit nicer to mum and dad i guess!!!

thank you so much for the advice guys- will definitely take a note of your suggestions. i got one reply back, (from the five that i sent)- the professor was perfectly nice and helpful, if a little vague but i'll email again

Heading off to the British Library in 2 weeks to start researching again- still need to figure out exactly what i need to research- but i refuse to panic about it, just gonna deal with it. Anyway, thanks x

2. Read books about phds (How to get a Phd by Pugh and Working for a Doctorate by verma are good). You need to ask yourself 'what is the problem i am trying to address?' and try to work out ideas from that. Remember in first year, most students are just trying to figure out what they want to research, so many students struggle in first year- you are not alone.

If it's the latter, then studying for a phd is gonna be hell- there needs to be interest.

If you are demoralised- i suggest two things
1. Speak to your supervisors- write down everything you want to say, how you feel, and provide them with a summary of all the stuff you have done so far so they can judge how well you are doing (as students, we tend to fear the worst)

hi yikes

i went through the same thing during my first phd attempt, except i let things continue like this for two years. It's not a nice feeling.

You say you are not interested in the topic- is that because you don't know where your work is heading or do you genuinely have no interest in it?