Hi,

I am really struggling and have read this forum on and off for years and always found it really useful.

I am suffering from depression and don't think I can go on with my PhD right now. I need to take some time to sort myself out as I have been muddling through for years and finally need to accept I am not going to get better without help and time.

My problem is I can't take time off without pay, I have huge credit card debts which will spiral out of control if I am without an income and cannot make my payments, not to mention all the usual expenses of rent, bills, etc. I am on a NERC stipend and wondered if anyone knows if I am able to get paid sick leave and an extension on my PhD if I am signed off by a doctor?

Any advice and particularly if anyone has any experience of doing this would be hugely appreciated.

Hi Anyhoo. I'm sorry you're struggling so much at the moment. It sounds like you've made a good realisation about needing time etc. I'm afraid I can't offer you any advice about NERC funding, but I wanted to bump your thread back to the top of the lsit so it doesn't get lost under the overnight spam! I'm pretty sure there are people on the forum who have some knowledge of the implications of taking time off sick from a PhD, so hopefully one of them will be along some time soon. Take care.

I was wondering about this as well - I'm looking at a three month absence from my PhD to have surgery and I'm worried I won't get paid during my absence. I'm funded by a University scholarship but it's supposed to be commensurate with an ESRC scholarship... does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing?

Hello, while I'm not familiar with NERC funding I suspended my studies for 6 weeks in my final year as I was looking after my grandfather in the last few weeks of his life after a battle with terminal cancer. The process was relatively straight forward and the 6 weeks was added on to the end of my expected submission date, I was also paid during the time off since the result of my absence was that it took me a bit longer to write up, which I wasn't paid for anyway.

I don't really understand the concept of depression since I've never suffered from it myself so I apologise if this following comment is stupid but if your very unhappy during your PhD then why not just turn it into a MPhil or MSc if possible and do something else that actually makes you happy? I hated my PhD throughout and failed my viva in the end due to lack of data, I wish had just left. I really hope you get something sorted and wish you all the best.

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'Depression' is not a synonym for 'unhappiness'. It's an illness that can be treated. Sometimes it is triggered by a life event/circumstances but sometimes it isn't. Substitute 'diabetes' or 'chronic back pain' for 'depression' in Anyhoo's post and that might help you understand the situation s/he is in.

It's worth taking the time to understand depression. Chances are it will affect you or someone close to you at some point in your life.

Hi Anyhoo. I'm afraid I don't know the answer to your question but I wonder whether if your research council didn't give you sick pay, maybe you would be eligible for incapacity benefit or similar.

I would seek advice from your student union or a postgrad tutor. For external benefits it might be worth contacting the Citizen's Advice Bureau.

I hope someone can give you specific advice soon.