Hi,

I am currently considering taking a 6 month deferral due to number of personal issues and depression that is seriously hampering my ability to focus on my studies. I am currently 23 months in, and am due to start my research interviews soon, but given my state of mind currently I think its best if I don't.

Just wondering if anyone else has had a deferral. How helpful did you found it in terms of being able to regain focus and a sense of purpose again. Also, did you find it hard to transition back into the PhD process afterwards? Any other info that you think might be relevant to this would be really good to hear.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Bluebird!

Hope you are ok - you sound a bit fragile. To be honest, the experience I have had with deferrals (interruptions of study) have not been positive. Everyone I know who has opted to take one for personal reasons (ie not maternity or physical health problems, but financial/emotional issues) has not returned to uni to complete. This is only my experience, but they found life outside academia to be much healthier mentally than trying to deal with the pressures within it. I think a lot depends on the attitude and support of your Uni, and most importantly, your supervisor.

I took a 5 month medical break in 2007 and returned to my (part-time) PhD afterwards. I found returning fine: once I'd drawn up a list of things to be getting on with I could start to tackle the items that looked most appealing, and built up my confidence and working pace. I've since written almost all of my thesis, and am close to finishing, though I have a bit more research to do to plug a gap, so am not quite at the end yet. Go for it! And look after yourself.

hi Bluebird!
I'm currently studying for a PhD and although I have had no problems so far with this, I had to take a year out in my undergrad degree and return the following year due to severe mental health problems. I appreciate this is a bit different to taking time out from a PhD due to the different demands of the course, but if you really are unable to cope at the moment then I think your only option is to take the time you need to sort yourself out and feel better. There is no point in exposing yourself to the pressures of PhD life right now and interviewing participants can be quite intense, especially because it forces you to put on a 'happy' face all the time when you really don't feel up to it- this can just make things worse. Perhaps it would be good to just keep doing a bit of reading round the subject or something just to keep your brain ticking along if you're up to it. I returned to uni following my year out and went from strength to strength, so it can be done. Good luck and keep your chin up!

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I have decided to take a deferral, probably for 6 months.

I still really really want to finish the PhD, and honestly believe I will finish it, but its just that the headspace I am in right now is not at all conducive to being productive, and the resulting pressure of not achieving is just making it too hard to continue as is. I intend to keep working on it, albeit at a much slower pace and with a lot less pressure, and my supervisor has said that he will be happy to meet with me when I need to/want to discuss anything which is great. I am definitely very lucky there.

Thanks again everyone :-)

Hi Bluebird, I am thinking along the same lines as you. I'm two years into my Phd and since I started I have had to deal with the death of my Mum, buying a house, then splitting up with my husband, starting a new relationship, moving 150 miles from my uni and becoming a sort of step-mum to three teenagers. I've tried to carry on working through all this but my PhD isn't going great at the moment, my panel are being very negative, although my supervisor is positive. I just want to take a break to get my head sorted. Unfortunately I can't afford to just suspend my studies so I am looking for a temporary job for say three or six months which hopefully will help financially, and give me a different persepctive on things. Like you, I really do want to finish my Phd but if I carry on as I am now I just feel I am likely to want to pack it in completely. There is the problem which was mentioned of not wanting to go back afterwards, but by taking a deferral, you are giving yourself the option, and it's less of a final decision as just quitting.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.