Douglas Prasher, who discovered the glowing jellyfish protein used in research that won a Nobel Prize, now drives a courtesy van for a car dealer in Huntsville, Ala. (Bryan Bacon/The Huntsville Times)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.
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Dr. Prasher didn’t leave science because of depression, according to the article and other news stories I have heard. He left because we don’t fund science in this country. His story is, unfortunately, all too common, except for the Nobel connection.
His NIH grant was turned down, an ACS grant wasn’t enough, he knew he wouldn’t get tenure without funding, so he left Woods Hole.
He did get a job he loved with a NASA subcontractor but the funding was cut. He made the choice to stay put, rather than move again in search of another job in science.
The depression was a result of his change of circumstances, loss of employment and grief, not the cause.
By the way, it’s Dr. Prasher, not Mr.
— PatriciaFROM TPP — I agree that Dr. Prasher left science for a variety of reasons, including a lack of funding and family issues, but he notes himself (in Mr. Chang’s earlier story) that the first bouts of depression began while he was still working in science.
Some years ago an unemployed American astronomer won the Nobel Prize in physics.
— 5barrisDr. Prasher clearly is a perceptive, creative and innovative researcher whose insights were not appreciated, which resulted in him being placed in precarious professional positions and eventually forced him to leave science.
— LynnIn contrast, if he had kept doing the next obvious experiment and promoting himself aggressively, he likely would still have a job in science.
As Dr. Prasher himself said in Chang’s article, depression is a normal response to being unemployed.
By such a quirky and unpredictable funding system, America is wasting so much scientific talent as Dr. Prasher’s position so clearly demonstrates.
Someone please give this insightful man funding for his work!!! His depression will disappear and we all will benefit.
In the meantime, if the Nobel Prize committee has a heart, please do invite him and his family to the award ceremony and give Dr. Prasher a Mr. Congeniality award for so generously sharing the GFP gene to enable the success of others while his own career was being pushed onto shaky ground.
I would say that Dr. Prasher’s depression interferred with his ability to maintain focus and persist. Depression gets in the way of one’s self-esteem, causes confusion and tends to make one start at the beginning over and over and over again. There is incredible stress that goes along with depression which seems like an oxymoron since from an outsider’s point of view there seems to be nothing going on. I have often likened it to driving down a muddy road in the rain with no windshield wash. You are are determined to continue but the challenge to see your way becomes more and more overwhelming the longer you hang in there.
— Carolyn“Dr. Prasher, who now drives a courtesy van for a car dealer”
— annaSeems to be an honest occupation, unlike that of many American medical doctors/researchers.
I don’t know, of course, the circumstances in this case, but Patricia’s post reminds us of the danger. Nobody negates that depression can be a real and devastating illness, but it’s clear that this fact is used and abused in this country, and perfectly normal individuals with perfectly normal response to dramatic or even tragic events are pathologized (YEAH, I found the word I needed).
Dr. Prasher’s modesty and resiliency are admirable. What is not admirable are the challenges that necessitate his virtues: an anti-intellectual environment that would sooner support an abundance of armaments than support more meaningful intellectual pursuits; and an anti-humanitarian environment that seeks to cull from the herd those that exhibit illness or weakness. I wish Dr Prasher well, and I hope he has truly found the peace his words suggest.
— marySomeone I know well is going through a tough bout of depression - one that has sidelined her from working, so she is on a disability leave of absence.
— paulineShe is a smart woman, and waned to pursue a PhD, but every depression trough she experiences takes her farther from her goal. During these troughs she struggles to even get out of bed.
It is sad to see such potential dissipate, but watching depression in anyone is horrible.
This story brought up thoughts about a member of my own family. My brother, talented and intelligent, but depressed. He has not worked in a few years. And his lack of accomplishment only fuels the depression which, in tern, leads to more lack of motivation.
Though I realize Dr. Prasher’s situation is somewhat different, and he did pull out of his year long bout with both a lack of funding and depression, I often wonder how to help a person make that change?
I am fortunately fairly successful in my career. But I know if my circumstances were just a little different, I could have been in my brother’s shoes. I have thought about creating incentives for him . . . . maybe if he starts college again, I could offer to help him financially? Maybe I could help him get out of my mothers house which because of her own problems with severe depression, is far from a positive influence.
Does anyone have a similar story of a friend or family member? Has anyone had any success in helping this sort of situation?
— PatrickAs an Ivy-degreed academic now working well beneath my educational level, I actually felt a little better reading about Dr. Prasher. I have bipolar disorder that is well-treated, but which nonetheless knocked me off my career trajectory some years ago. Knowing I’m not the only one in this situation somehow makes me a little less lonely. I find the work I do now rewarding, but I still very much miss the intellectual stimulation of the “hothouse” atmosphere for which I qualified by work ethic and intellect but not, apparently, by temperament.
— LGAIt’s a classic chicken or egg dilemma. Many depressives are drawn to research and the arts; it’s a personality type that makes people obsessive. While I don’t know any Nobel candidates who missed out because of depression. I do know a lot of depressed people, people who are especially depressed because of the political climate of the last eight years. Bush gave us a presidency utter lacking in vision or hope. He had no great dreams he wanted to impart to the American people. Of the two candidates running, only Obama has the honest fire to incite a push for big research again. There will be tough times ahead, but at least we’ll have a president who believes in research on the man-to-the-moon scale.
— Paul, BrooklynI’ve had two major depressive incidents in my life, each lasting 6 to 8 months, that hampered career, educational, social, and financial well-being. I feel like I’m driving around of my own today.
Severe depression comes in bouts that may or may not be against the backdrop of usual poor mood. But you live with the consequences to your success or failure afterwards.
I’m sure Dr. Prasher, since he’s frank about his experience, has sought medical help. Maybe that hasn’t fixed his problem. But in the percentages, were mental health services more widely available, Americans who do not seek treatment for this problem could have something invested back in them, and we may not lament so much human capital recession in the future.
— prefer not to sayLiving life with chronic depression is like living life with a ball and chain attached to one leg. At the same time, people are so ignorant about depression that it’s best to keep it hidden as evidenced by some of the comments above and because health and life insurance companies may decide not to give you coverage. You are right in that untreated and untreatable depression can be a horrible waste of ability and talent. It would be helpful if all parents, teachers, doctors, supervisors, co-workers and friends would encourage an underperforming student or employee to get an assessment for depression rather than assume they are lazy or unmotivated. I speak from experience.
— MN USAALERT!! Dr Prasher’s depression was mitigated by the NIH backward’s funding poicy and academic snobbery.
The problem is not lack of NIH funding, the problem is that every time the Govt increases NIH funding, academia hires tons of low-pay, early career scientists (PhD students and postdocs) without creating permanent, fulltime positions for them. Thus the competition for grants becomes very hard.
Now we have a postdoc glut (google the term, you’ll find tons of articles) and scientists are leaving the bench in droves. More funding is not the answer (Clinton doubled the NIH budget and competition got worse because of the increasing numbers) The problem is the way that funding is being used up.
Newsflash: Academia does not prepare or encourage biomedical scientists like Dr. Prasher to do industrial or biotech or pharma biomedical research!! With nothing but academia-only skills, Dr. Prasher couldnt get a job doing research in industry, which probably added to the depression.
— alexisScience as a career is particularly unforgiving compared to, say the practice of medicine. There’s really no way to come back after a hiatus from either illness or from raising a family- both seemed to factor into Dr. Prasher’s decision to leave.
I am a researcher and I use techniques that came from his discovery on a daily basis. I wish for him and (for myself) that the research environment didn’t require such single minded focus over such a long period of time. But the wonder of discovery and the fun of it all keep us going (so far) even though funding has really dried up.
— J.L. MD BostonOh, Lynn, oh, Mary … :)
— annaIn my experience, leaving a high-pressure profession doesn’t necessarily mean one is wasting one’s life or talent. Every person, no matter how brilliant, deserves a decent quality of life including reasonable work hours, leisure, and a variety of activities and interests.
Nowhere is it written that the brilliant must meet the expectations of humanity 24/7, until they drop dead. Like Dr. Prasher, I’ve taken on an ordinary job after years toiling in the dungeons of advertising and PR. Working in a store has helped cure my very deep depression and I enjoy my life — including disappointing friends who have a burnng need to see me tricked out as a “professional” again, for reasons understood only by them.
— SueMy hat is off to Dr. Prasher, and to Carolyn above (#6) who explains the problem perfectly. I wish them both the very best.
Betty
— BettyIt is truly a sad commentary on science. It is easy to say he was depressed or his work was compromised by depression. But, it is hard to be in the sciences and not to be depressed. If you are a scientist, there is no safety net for you. It is not easy for someone who spent a minimum of 10 years in college getting their advanced degrees to go and find unskilled labor. It requires rejection of everything you spent the best years of your life working towards. If we can provide safety nets for farmers in iowa growing corn, why not for the scientists?
— Jack AvramoffI think one point to be taken is not that career problems cause depression or vice versa — it’s a vicious circle where each small failure takes on exaggerated meaning and corrupts an individuals determination and belief in their own abilities.
On another note, I don’t think the problem with science in America is lack of money per se. One big problem is the inconsistency of funding — the NIH will see double-digit budget growth for a few years, then move backwards for a few years. Science can’t thrive like that; each cycle costs you bright people like Dr. Prasher. Second, the peer review of grants, as presently embodied in the NIH, has a number of problems: an “old boys network” effect tends to favor more established researchers over younger researchers (with a concomitant influence on the types of projects funded). Basically, people will get funded if they can promise publications in prestigious journals in a short amount of time, i.e., if big labs pick the most obvious and ’safe’ projects.
— NeilResearch careers require a tremendous amount of focus, drive, and commitment. Anything that limits one’s ability to focus will undermine a high-level research career, including depression and other mental illness. I have seen depression, manic depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders derail several promising research careers.
That said, I find something prurient about speculating the role depression may have played in Dr. Prasher’s career. He is a private person who has not sought public attention, and does not deserve to have his life dissected in this way.
FROM TPP — I think it was brave and honest of Dr. Prasher to share with our reporter that he suffered from bouts of depression. It shows what a truly generous person he is — not only to share his research with fellow scientists but to share his story in a way that I think removes the stigma and helps all of us view depression differently. I wrote this story because I think Dr. Prasher’s generosity of spirit certainly deserves recognition.
— AmyThe above comments suggest the extent to which we need to have more discussion about what constitutes depression, who it affects, its causes, and its effects. It would seem misinformation about what depression actually is (I would suggest it is not just a normal response to dramatic events, as Anna wrote; there is a more persistent and cyclical nature to depression which often has nothing to do with events occurring out of our control) hampers effectively dealing with depression. As someone who has struggled with depression, but actively hopes to overcome this struggle, I would encourage a more thoughtful discussion in response to this posting, which raises some fundamental, critical questions. I think there is a definite link between depression and missed opportunities to solve problems facing society.
— LauraLets leave science to the free market capitalism and lets not fund any science.
Lets give all our tax money to the iowa farmers to grow more corn.
— Jack AvramoffPaul, #10
I can assure you that the problem is much deeper than Bush.
Why would an American be familiar with such concepts, as a systemic problem or unfettered capitalism? Doctors, among many others, will take care of that.
“Carolyn above (#6) who explains the problem perfectly.”
— annaSure, Betty, sure Betty.#17 life is simple.
Dr. Anna
Why can’t he be more like Joe the Plumber? Why be depressed? Try buying the car company and worry about how much taxes he will have to pay if his compay starts making millions of dollars.
— Jack AvramoffLaura, #21
— annaI happy that your post thoughtful (sure, if you say so), but you actually didn’t read my post. I know, I know life is simple.