I'm sure I'll ramble about it more in the future.
I will be happy to over-ramble your ramblings :D
Like, a part of the curriculum? Or just something that came naturally? I read about the mental strife of the PhD folks... sounds rough but not something I could empathize with, even though I can surely be compassionate about
Supporting depressed bachelors was an unexpected part of the job, since the beginning of the pandemic... And as we (again, we come back to me, plus other colleagues ;) ) are by no means psychologists, this was a bit a hard thing to deal with and to help them (although we tried as much as we could, providing advice and redirecting to real professionals on this matter).
On the other hand, in the small crowd of PhD students of the institute, only very few seem to have really deeply suffered (I would say less than 5; but I don't know all details as I don't interact with many of them who work with other colleagues).
I think the key difference is whether or not one can function in society, or in a way that they wish they could function. That doesn't mean 'be happy' of course. But if you're no longer able to accomplish the goals, or even see any goals, then I'd consider it deep suffering.
Most people these days go through bouts of depression, but most also tend to come out the other side within a few weeks/months. Distinguishing the difference I guess is pretty hard...
(I have been thinking a lot lately about taking on a psychology degree of a sort which might tie into music-related therapy...hmm...)
Maybe you should go with this degree. From what you wrote here, you seem to be well versed into this at the moment. However, a degree is a mid-term thing and requires some investment (this should be kept in mind before taking the decision).
Yeah... definitely not a thing I'm gonna start up in the near future, but maybe eventually