Archaeologists and Mental Illness

[deepdigger]

Yeah but we can't be too mad people, i mean who can dig with a strait jacket on?

deep

[star-nosed mole]

Mmm.. yes archaeology does seem to attract the nutters. More so on amateur and volunteer sites than professional ones I've found - guess the worst are weeded out by some sort of interview process at least.
On another topic (though not entirely unrelated [:p]) has anyone ever noticed the large proportion of left-handed diggers? On one site I was at, we counted who was left-handed and it was about half - far more than the national average! Anyone got any ideas for the reasoning behind this?

[Curator Kid]

quote:Originally posted by star-nosed mole

On another topic (though not entirely unrelated [:p]) has anyone ever noticed the large proportion of left-handed diggers? On one site I was at, we counted who was left-handed and it was about half - far more than the national average! Anyone got any ideas for the reasoning behind this?

Southpaw diggers? I can't say I ever noticed this. Perhaps it was just a quirk of that particular site. Why not have a survey on here? Personally, I'm ambidextrous with a trowel, so I've messed it up already.

[deepdigger]

A person that i work with is left handed and as there are generally just us two on site that makes fifty percent!
he is quite odd too, but he's ok.

deep

[EarlySlav]

My wife things all U.K archaeologists are mad for working for such low pay!!!

On a serious level the stress of low pay, lack of job security, all the central problems that BAJR is trying to help sort out can led to mental health problems for archaeologists as in other type of employment with the same problems. Mix that with our drinking and for others drugs !!! yes the A in archaeology is for alcohol. Nearly All of us have been there as anyone who dug at Ennis in Ireland know.[:p][xx(] The mix of stress, low pay etc is a cause for some to develop mental illness.

The constant moving of people from different sites and companies means that for some their problems go unspotted or unhelped. In certain companies poor management has led to the diggers on site having to live with the problems of dealing with the fall out from people who needed medical help. Also a small number use the system to aviod being spotted." been away from archaeology for a few years" and miss off on their C.V the last messed up sites they have been on.

It would be useful to have a research study carried out on how archaeology has affect those who work in it for the last few decades and ideas on how we treat those people who need help.

[EarlySlav]

As you may not spelling can be affected by half a bottle of wine[:p]

[Pedant]

quote:Originally posted by star-nosed mole
[On another topic (though not entirely unrelated [:p]) has anyone ever noticed the large proportion of left-handed diggers? On one site I was at, we counted who was left-handed and it was about half - far more than the national average! Anyone got any ideas for the reasoning behind this?

Have noticed this effect. On a site with a team of 8, 3 were left handed - a bit higher than the national average, perhaps? (Anyone know what the national average is?)
Also, a lot of dyslexics. Sometimes the same people as are left handed... Theories?

Body at work and mind on vacation

[EarlySlav]

That includes me on both counts.

[drasticwrath]

Ayup. I think the national average for lefties is about 1:10. Dunno exactly where I heard that, so I may have just made it up, but it sounds about right.

Got a new question - are we alcoholics who do archaeology, or are we alcoholics because of archaeology?

[deepdigger]

I for one was something of a toper before i became an archaeologist, but i don't let the fact that i am an archaeologist hold me back!!

deep