XII. Mental Health and Additional Resources

There is increasing evidence that certain attributes of academic research may challenge your mental health. Specific factors driving this include:

• Low pay and quality-of-life issues, particularly as a function of living in an increasingly expensive city 
• Feelings of isolation in your research; e.g., everyone has their own topic and it can often feel as if you are working on your own
• Uncertainty in your research, although it should be noted that, in research of all kinds, it is not just the outcomes that are uncertain, but the questions themselves! 
• Uncertainty in your post-M.S. or -Ph.D. career
• So-called “negative results”; i.e., at some point in your research it is likely that certain questions will be more challenging to answer than anticipated, or that you will feel you have spent days/months/years toiling with little to show
• Burnout; i.e., feeling the need to work endless hours to make up for the above issues, and the subsequent exhaustion

If there is anything that is placing undue stress or preventing you from performing at your potential, please do not hesitate to let the advisor, the Graduate Director, your mentors, and/or the Geoscience unit leadership know how they can help. For students, it is particularly important to communicate with your advisor so that they can better understand you and provide the best working relationship possible. Every effort will be made to help you access the right support networks.

While your adviser, other faculty members, and your fellow students can be a good source of support, UNR has several resources available to students for additional help. Resources include: professionally-trained mental health experts (including counseling services and psychiatric services), access to emergency funds, free supplies (e.g., food, hygiene items, etc) via Pack Provisions, nutrition therapy, and the LiveWell program which specializes in dealing with substance abuse, emotional wellness, work-life balance, and more. The Graduate School maintains an informative website on various mental health services.

Resources for students in crisis

If you are in crisis the following services are available to you:

• In any emergency involving physical harm or a threat to a life, please call 911 (9-911 from a campus phone), or contact the UNR Police Department Dispatch at (775) 334-2677 immediately.
• Same day appointments at the Counseling Center. To make a Crisis Appointment during normal business hours (Monday–Thursday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM), please call the Counseling Services at (775) 784-4648, or simply walk to the Counseling Center in the Pennington Student Achievement Center (Room 420). After hours, please call: (775) 297-8315
• The Crisis Support Center of Nevada offers free, confidential support via phone and text 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call 1-800-273-8255 or text CARE to 839863.
• The National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255
• The Hope Line Network at 1-800-784-2433 

If you are aware that another student is in crisis, please take the following actions:

• If the situation is an emergency that involves physical harm or a threat to life, please call 911 (9-911 from a campus phone), or contact the UNR Police Department Dispatch at (775) 334-2677 immediately.
• Make the student aware of the Counseling and Psychiatric services provided by UNR (see information above). If on campus and during normal business hours, you can offer to walk the student directly to the Counseling Center on the 4^th floor of the Pennington Student Achievement Center.
• File a report with the Student Intervention Team. The Student Intervention Team is a group of university employees who meet weekly to with a goal of providing resources to students in need.
  • Note that if you are acting as a TA you have an obligation to make a report to the Student Intervention Team if you become aware of a student who is contemplating or engaging in self harm.