Improving Mental Health Among Communication and Media Scholars: Four Structural Suggestions.

ABSTRACT

In recent years, multiple studies have called attention to the mental health of scholars across the academy. And yet, the mental health of communication and media scholars specifically has not received the focused attention it deserves. In their recent Journal of Communication article, Thomas Hanitzsch and colleagues begin the process of remedying this omission, providing important data on communication and media scholars' mental health and its correlates. Hanitzsch and colleagues stress that their work is a starting point only, and call for their fellow communication and media scholars to engage in discussion about potential solutions. In response to their call, this essay provides four structural recommendations aimed at improving the mental health of early and mid-career scholars.