Thank you both for the replies, I really really appreciate the advice. I have been thinking about this over the past two days and am planning to speak to my supervisor about this issue. Essentially I think this boils down to my past training has not equipped me to do this project, and I respect that fact that my supervisor thought I could.

To Marshall and Dr_Crabby, I suppose you had found a chance to speak frankly with your supervisors. May I ask how did you initiate the conversation? And what was your supervisors' reaction when you brought up the problem? Thanks!

Hi guys,

This is probably one of the million posts of people whining about their phd mid way in. However, I’m mentally in a really bad shape and any advice will be welcome.

My background is epidemiology and I have been given a topic to work on that I think is uninteresting to me (at lease compared to what other students are working on). I tried hard to get some work done anyway and felt fine for the past 2 years, and I even managed to get a manuscript submitted. However, this is where I think the nightmare started, the manuscript has been rejected couple of times, and the reviewers were always trashing this new thing I propose in the manuscript, and the worst thing is this new thing was my supervisor’s idea and I can’t help but agree with what they say. Lately I keep thinking how my phd has probably been a pile of garbage and I won’t pass the oral defence. At this point I don’t know how I can cope with this massive negativity and I have been googling why other people quit their phd.

I understand that this is my phd and I should just get on with it and stop whining. But I feel like I am on the verge of snapping and I don’t know how to talk to my loved ones about this. I was wondering if anyone has experienced similar things or am I just being a drama queen? Thanks!