Highest prevalence found of sleep problems; anxiety, burnout, depression among other problems that are common among young medicos
A survey conducted by the National Medical Commission has found that 28% undergraduate and 15% postgraduate medical students in India are suffering from mental disorders.
Of the 25,590 undergraduate medical students who responded to the online survey, mental health conditions have been diagnosed in 7,115 (27.8%) students, with 3,780 (14.8%) having one condition, 1,851 (7.2%) having two, and 1,045 (4.1%) having three conditions. Among postgraduate students, 5,337 participated in the survey. The survey results reveal that 4518 (84.7%) of postgraduate students have not been diagnosed with any mental health condition, while 819 (15.3%) have been diagnosed with one. A notable percentage of the students suffer from mental illness 819 (15.3%), which could be exacerbated by the high levels of stress reported.
These are the findings of a National Task Force on Mental Health and Wellbeing of Medical Students. “Given the pervasive stressors involved in medical training, it is not surprising that medical students and doctors are at an increased risk of psychological distress and mental ill health relative to the general population. This is not merely a national phenomenon but a global one. Existing global literature consistently recognizes that 30-40% of medical students report mental health problems. There is high prevalence of anxiety, depressive disorders, suicidal ideation, substance use disorders, as well as stress and burnout in this population. Hence, a national task force was set up to assess the mental health and well-being of medical students in India and to suggest remedial measures,” reads the report.
The identified stressors included family pressure to perform well, work pressure, long and erratic working hours, inadequate counselling services and also ragging which, even though illegal, was reported at multiple levels of the survey.
The survey also found a worrying degree of suicides and suicidal ideations among medical students. In the past five years, 122 medical students (64 undergraduate and 58 postgraduate students) have died by suicide. This translates to an estimated 25-26 medical student suicide per year.
