Hey,

Just signed up for this thing and I was just wondering if anybody had any advice for my situation.

Im on a partial scholarship with waived fees on an arts PHD (started 3 months ago). Since about before Xmas I have noticed a really dip in my mood, insomnia and a serious spike in the seriousness of my OCD (something I have suffered with since being a kid). My therapist has put me back on anti-depressesants but i haven't really seen any improvement.

The health problems are basically a result of struggling to pay for the essentials as the price of food and utilities is getting really high. But im also pretty disillusioned with my project. I took on a scholarship which was kind of out of my area of interest and although my supervisory team have been great and tailored it to my needs as far as possible, im still not really enjoying it.

Because of all of these I am really leaning towards dropping out but would probably like to try and apply for another PHD when I get my head straight and which I would get better funding for. Does anybody have any experience of leaving a program and going on to study another? And, what would my prospects of AHRC funding be in these circumstances?

Any help would be great.

I left a full-time science EPSRC-funded PhD in 1996. I started a part-time humanities PhD in 2003, and won AHRC funding in 2004 for the rest of my part-time PhD. When I applied to AHRC I was asked about previous research council funding, so declared what I'd received, and explained why I left. I could have received reduced funding the second time, but suspect I didn't, partly because I had a very good reason for leaving (progressive neurological disease developing), and it was a different funding council, and a totally opposite discipline. So expect to be asked about your past PhD if you leave and start a second one.

I do wonder if you've allowed the anti-depressants long enough to kick in though. They don't work right away, and can take quite a few months to be effective. Also not every drug works for every one, so maybe you will need to try a different drug anyway.

I have a little experience of these drugs, being put on some for anxiety half-way through my PhD (not I think due to the PhD, but due to the brain damage + side-effect of chemo drugs I have to take). It took a little time for the drugs to kick in. Also I had to go onto a second one because the first one wasn't working effectively for me. But now I'm very happy, popping my pill ;-)

Also make sure you make use of support facilities at your university. Counsellors are available to students at most universities, and can be a big help, in addition to whatever other help you're getting. You may also find it helpful to talk to the chaplain, if there is one. I did this, even though I'm agnostic, as I was struggling particularly with the life-threatening nature of my disease.

Anyway good luck!

Thanks,

These are the same pills I was on between bein 8 and 17, but it could just be that my body isnt feeling the effects as quickly now.

I really like the chaplaincy idea. Im an agnostic as well, but i think it might be good just to get another source of advice.

Thanks again.