To enter a profession like academia, individuals undergo rigorous socialization processes. Some of these are positive; however, others have been linked with poor mental health in early career professionals in particular. Why and how professions create and perpetuate environments in which such outcomes are permitted is not yet understood in research on academic mental health. The sociology of professions literature offers explanation: professions, via those in their upper echelons, engage in symbolic violence and other acts of aggression that normalize harmful behaviors. These, we posit, have a negative effect on the mental health of lower-ranking professionals. As academics are under-explored in this literature, the medical profession acts as a proxy. Insights into this group are valuable - academia and medicine are professions with shared characteristics, and the mental health of academics is comparable to that of high-risk medical professionals. The discussion paves the way for future research on the connection between profession and academic mental health.