Depression and the Nobel Prize

sea-maid submitted, created time 2 months 2 weeks (well.blogs.nytimes.com)

Anyone who has struggled with depression—either in themselves or a loved one—will be moved by the story of Douglas C. Prasher.

Dr. Prasher, who now drives a courtesy van for a car dealer, abandoned a life of scientific research years ago. Trained as a biochemist, Dr. Prasher has struggled over the years with bouts of depression.

His story wouldn’t be notable except for a startling fact: his early research led to a Nobel Prize-winning discovery about the inner workings of living cells. Dr. Prasher will not share in the glory or financial gains of the Nobel Prize, even though his work provided a critical ingredient in the breakthrough. Dr. Prasher’s touching story was explained by my colleague Kenneth Chang.

Dr. Prasher notes that while he struggled with depression, he left science for a variety of reasons, including a lack of funding for his work and family obligations. Despite an unsettled career path and a year of unemployment that exacerbated his depression, Dr. Prasher is not bitter about what might have been.

“There are other people who would have deserved it a whole lot more than me,” he says of the Nobel Prize. “They worked their butts off over their entire lives for science, and I haven’t.”

I find Dr. Prasher’s story to be a notable reminder of the toll depression can take on the lives and careers of many brilliant minds. Has depression interrupted the career path of you or someone you know? Please join the discussion below.

Keywords: careers mental illness Nobel Prize depression