When thinking about disabled scientists, physical circumstances tend to jump to mind — someone who uses a wheelchair, wears a prosthesis or is blind. Keisha Hardeman, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, speaks about her hidden disabilities: depression and anxiety. She shares how these mental-health challenges have shaped her journey as a scientist, as well as the importance of seeking counselling and how she has learnt to manage.
When did you notice your own mental-health struggles, and how did you seek help?
I first noticed some changes in high school. I was the valedictorian (top graduate of my class) but stopped doing academic decathlon (a high-school competition held annually in the United States) and dropped out of other stuff. When I went to Texas A&M University in College Station, it got worse and worse. Eventually, in 2005, I walked into a campus counselling centre for the first time. I needed to talk to someone.
Read more at: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00593-1
