One in four people will experience a mental health problem in any given year. Academics and researchers are not immune; in comparison to other professionals and community samples, academic staff experience higher levels of mental health issues. Recent studies have highlighted this harsh reality. PhD students are more likely to experience mental-health distress than other highly educated individuals. An Australian study found that the rate of mental illness in academic staff was up to three to four times higher than in the general population, while the percentage among academics in the UK has been estimated to be as high as 53%. 

The Research Culture Committee, consisting of staff and postgraduate students from the QUB School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, believe in taking proactive steps to improve wellbeing and resilience within our academic community. We can do this by encouraging mindfulness and creating a network of support within our school. We would also like to improve mental health in the wider community and to do this we have organised three relay teams, participating in the Belfast City Marathon, to raise money for our nominated charity, AWARE.

AWARE is the only charity in Northern Ireland working exclusively for people with depression and bipolar disorder. AWARE has an established network of 23 support groups in rural and urban areas across the country, which are run by trained volunteers. Support groups welcome people with depression & bipolar disorder as well as carers for people with the illness. AWARE deliver mental health & well being programmes into communities, schools, colleges, universities & workplaces across Northern Ireland. For more information visit www.aware-ni.org