Hey can you tell me about it? During my degrees I thought I'd go mad with the pressures, but I was so glad I hung in there

I want to quit also. Trust me. But you can't. Visualize your life with the Bachelors - from the point of view of what your job would be with a BS and what it would be with the PhD. That's one thing that keeps me going. I don't want to ever be held back by a glass ceiling and a 40k paycheck.

What are you getting a PhD in?

FYI - my advisor doesn't support me much at all either

I am not sure what to tell...

I finished my BA and MA degree in Israel. Then my hubby came to work to the US and I came after him.

My friend told me that one of the Israeli professors is the head of the department at the place in Chicago. I contacted him and he accepted me to the department (I had magna cum laude) on my MA and pretty good tests.

On my ninth month of pregnancy I started the Ph.d. I had only A's, but later on failed qualification exam.

After this failure everything went wrong. I decided to leave this Israeli advisor becase I did not like his topic. I left to young as I thought nice proffessor, that was just a bitch.

I worked very hard for her, but she let me go... twice.

The last time she brought me to Israeli professor back and he agreed to be my advisor again.

But my head sims not work at all-- one time I took the questions for the exam from internet, he suggested it was plagiarism. Another time -- I made mistake in checking the exam, that only now I get why it was the mistake.

It is kinda hard to explain all by words, but this professor thinks I am lying to him, I am stupid whodoes not worth anything...

My self esteem is very low and I think I fail everything.

Isolation and depression is fairly well documented for PhD candidates. All the time devoted to research and writing can be exhausting. You're in good company.

My qualification exams were hell, and hell for anyone around me at the time as well. I passed them last month. But I can tell you, my advisor didn't help one bit and my committee made it even worse.

Although it seems you have complicated circumstances, the key is to remain level-headed, calm, and, most importantly, professional.

Avoid the bullshit. Do what you need to do to get the degree. If its classes you need to take, take them, and try to avoid your advisor if you can.

If you're in science, like me, and you're doing research, a good approach I've seen others take to a crappy advisor is: deal with him/her as little as possible but with the upmost neutrality and professionalism. Make a list of your goals and check them off one by one. In the end, only you can make this happen. You have to want it bad enough.

One of my favorite quotes:
"There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs."

I know you're between a rock and a hard place but concentrate on you and what you need to do to graduate.

I'm in my 3rd year. Its a bitch. I feel your pain. Hang in there.

Agreed osteoron. Often times graduate school seems to be the number one cause of my depression. Chemical imbalance being second.

But if I wasn't working towards this, I think I might be even more miserable because of the disappointment and missed opportunities. Catch22 I suppose.

There is even a specific group devoted to "College Stress" on DS. My niece is getting her PhD as well and has really been in the dumps. Hang in there.

Great advice.

Only the feeling of disappointment and missed opportunities holding me from writing that I am quit. And the fear of worth depression...no roles makes depression even worse...

I cannot avoid my advisor, I work as TA for him and see him twice a week, he is feeling people pretty good. He finds my very weak points and loughs at me so virtuously... and even when I put whole my sole to succeed, it turns badly,showing my unprofessionalism...

Plus I am single mom only lately and I am really very tired from my three year old daughter.

I hate myself,cause I feel that I don't know anymore where my real abilities end, and starts troubles with my advisor. What if he right and I am stupid that won't be able to finish...

What if I am soo tired, that I already not differ from stupid.

Your getting your Ph.D!

Dont you want to be known as Dr. Gluzanna!

Quite frankly-- I do not believe anymore that I could be called Dr...

The guy sounds like an arse.

Well, yep, he might be sound like this. The thing is that I am not good, and he mad at me that I left for the first time. He did not tell me to go, I left myself.

And I did not ask him to be my advisor for the second time, but my prior female advisor did.

Plus I cannot get enough sleep and become more and more stupid.

DOnt let this guy wear you down. It sounds like you've come so far and worked really hard. Think how abd you'll feel if you dont see it through.
Of course it is important to remember that if it really is causing you more heartache than good and you feel that it is damaging to your mental health and well being, you should look into getting some support.

I do not have any support, nowhere-- the whole department is two main networks-- one of new head of the department and one of my male advisor (he is the prior head of the department),

so I belong to wrong network, the head will not help me, she will formally listen, but won't do nothing. She will let my male advisor to do with his people as he wants.

sad, but true...

as for mental health problems, I afraid they become worse if I quit.