As some of you might know I am pursuing a career in academia. At least for the foreseeable future, I am planning on focusing this on the topic of schizophrenia. The point is I have been thinking of how open I should be about it. Currently some professors at the university know about my condition, including the supervisor for my master thesis im writing now. But I have been playing with the idea of disclosing it in my thesis as well, in the introduction or something. In a way it seems dishonest not to do so. It will be published online though, so that basically means it will be disclosing to everyone with an internet connection.
Now I wouldnt mind that if I were to be sure of a career in academia. I wouldn’t mind being known as that sz-researcher who is sz himself. I do not plan on being an active advocate or anything, but just to be open about it publicly when in such a position seems a right thing to do in relation to stigma. But the thing is it is not sure whether I will get a job as a Phd researcher. Positions are limited, and even more so if you’re interested in a specific topic. So even though my gpa is great, there just might not be a position available that is interesting to me. I am thinking maybe best not to disclose in my master thesis now and possibly do so later were my career in academia really to take off.
There might be also the issue of staying on this site, for some people appear to have problems with researchers. Now these may be worries for later, as I am still a student now. But i will be finishing my thesis within a month or two. There will be a new phase in life, and these are some issues I have been pondering in relation to that.
I wouldn’t be so naive… What is the average person likely to think? Possibly that you don’t always cope but maybe somebody else will… I wouldn’t risk it for the comfort of being above board…
So long as the deadlines leading to stress levels are manageable… Hmm. I have seen this sort of stuff eat people alive who were anything but sz-ish.
As for disclosing, if you knew some of the Really Big Names in academic psychology and sociology who are seriously dx’d, you’d probably never have trouble getting any sleep again.
Ya know, you might want to read Jeremy Bernstein’s little book about J. Robert Oppenheimer (arguably the single most significant academic of the 20th century) and see if it chills this out. Oppie was “whacked,” but so long as he wasn’t considered a “commie,” no one cared.
Get your school done before you go as public as saying you have scz in a thesis which will go in a database. My thesis is in psychology and stigma, and I am not saying ■■■■about having scz in my manuscript. I will go “public” once I get a doctoral degree, either a Psy D or PhD. If I get a MS, I will be like oh ■■■■it and go public. By public I mean advocacy.
being public with a top level degree, an MD, JD or PhD IS being an active advocate. People will notice that â– â– â– â– . And ask you all about it. I plan on working under the leading stigma expert in the world or â– â– â– â– it I probably wont get in with anyone else for a PhD so I am already public.
I dont want to work under anyone for a PhD than this guy Patrick Corrigan (writer) - Wikipedia
because I would gladly be his slave and sell him my soul, which is what it takes to get a PhD in clinical psychology.
Like I want to hand over six years of my life to someone who thinks of me as a leper. Im already cool with the department at my school, am I am overqualified for the MS in rehabilitation here, so that’s my fallback. It’s funded with a stipend, which means no spent money, in fact it means I will make money and get tattoos or something else stupid with the money. Probably just spend it on a new car. And whey protein. And more fitted black t-shirts.
But I want in that â– â– â– â– â– â– â– PhD program at IIT more than I want sex.
Yes, well I only had two psychotic breaks so far. If anything seemed to trigger them, it was a lack of projects that give me a routine to work on. Periods where I had nothing to do and nothing was expected from me (holidays) preceded my episodes. Even when psychotic, I always found some solace in academic work.
Thanks for the reply, this is a fair point, but so far I haven’t encountered such attitudes in academia. People may think such secretly but I do not really want to play that game, it has served me well so far to trust people rather than be suspicious of them. My supervisor thinks having experienced the condition gives me an edge over others in writing about it. I will take your advice about not disclosing yet, but feel similar to you once a doctoral degree is in sight.