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How can academics affect a medical student’s health mentally?

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How can academics affect a medical student’s health mentally?

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The effect COVID-19 played on medical student’s development and mental health.

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The effect COVID-19 played on medical student’s development and mental health.

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How can the stigma of mental health effect medical students to steer away from any professional help?

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How can the stigma of mental health effect medical students to steer away from any professional help?

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Is the academic stress and challenges of medical school necessary for students to prepare for the real world experience? 

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Is the academic stress and challenges of medical school necessary for students to prepare for the real world experience? 

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Barriers to Accessing Mental Health Resources for Medical Students

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Barriers to Accessing Mental Health Resources for Medical Students

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There are extremely high expectations and pressures when trying to excel academically as a medical student which could lead to depression, burning out, anxiety, and etc.

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The competitive environment like the competition among peers for evaluations and grades could cause for feelings of isolation and increase the amount of stress a person experiences.

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Being a medical student and even being in medicine is very demanding which leaves no time for students to take care of themselves, make connections, or even prioritize themselves.

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During COVID, it took the opportunity for students to learn hands on and limited the amount of clinical exposure. This could lead to less confidence in what they do because of the limited experience.

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In what ways does the pressure and competitiveness of medical school contribute to mental health challenges among students?

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Mental Health Problems in Medical Students

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Mental Health Problems in Medical Students

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Mental Health Trends Over Time in Medical Education

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Mental Health Trends Over Time in Medical Education

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Mental Health Challenges Across Medical Student Demographics

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Mental Health Challenges Across Medical Student Demographics

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Current and Proposed Mental Health Resources for Medical Students

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Current and Proposed Mental Health Resources for Medical Students

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How can therapy groups and apps help medical students?

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How can therapy groups and apps help medical students?

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The demanding work and life can be hard to manage sometimes which could lead for more intense feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and concerns about the person's future.

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There are certain students that were able to develop skills like technological and coping ones that could help improve their future practices.

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Preclinical students tend to experience more pressures from the academic side, while clinical students have to add other challenges like emotional and physical demands from patient care.

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Female medical students tend to face more struggles in medical school because they can experience more gender-based discriminations while trying to balance difficult academic demands.

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Minority students face discriminations which could lead for them to isolation, this could increase stress and mental health struggle.

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Sometimes medical students don't reach out because they are scared of being judged for struggling because they might be seen weak or not fit enough for that profession.

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An environment where perfectionism is so common, and evaluations are constant could increase the likeliness of stigma and silent vulnerability.

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The misinformation and misconceptions about reaching out for help can sometimes affect whether a person seeks for help or not.

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These are digital platforms that can help medical students manage stress and have access to help privately on their own accessible time.

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Many medical programs are incorporating peer support groups that can help medical students discuss their problems or challenges with other peers that can relate.

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These programs strive to help students with any emotional or career support that they might need from professionals.

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Medical school allows for students to get the experience and exposure that they need in order to develop problem solving skills and high levels of stress.

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The pressure can become so overwhelming which could how a student performs academically and in clinical settings.

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Trying to navigate through life and medical school at the same time could better prepare students when they get into their professional careers.

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"The described low uptake of personal consultation for mental health support by medical students may be explained by fears of stigmatization, shame, barriers..." (Ungar, 4).

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"New technologies have facilitated online mental health support that may overcome some of these barriers as they can be accessed anonymously from anywhere and at any time" (Ungar, 4).

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"Results showed that 20.3% of university students were affected by mental disorders such as major depression" (Ungar, 2)

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"It can be concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the stress, anxiety, and depression associated with medical education..." (Nair, 1).

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Well-being and burnout in medical students (2021)

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Well-being and burnout in medical students (2021)

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Well-being and burnout in medical students

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There is no doubt that practice of medicine is an extremely stressful profession. Not surprisingly, training and education in medicine also creates a degree of pressure. In the past 50 years, more attention is being paid to the mental health and…

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Breaking the Silence: A Mental Health Initiative to Reduce Stigma among Medical Students (2023)

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Breaking the Silence: A Mental Health Initiative to Reduce Stigma among Medical Students (2023)

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Breaking the Silence: A Mental Health Initiative to Reduce... : Academic Medicine

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ine featuring 3 elements: (1) Mental Health Panel, an annual first-year event where faculty/peers share mental health stories; (2) Pritzker, I Screwed Up, an annual all-school event where faculty/peers share experiences with failure; and (3) Humans of Pritzker, a social media initiative featuring students’ mental health posts. Postevent surveys and the 2021–2022 MHI survey assessed student satisfaction and impact on stigma and help-seeking behaviors. Student Counseling Services utilization rates for medical and nonmedical students were compared for academic years 2014–2015 vs 2018–2019 and 2020–2021 to account for the pandemic’s impact on mental health care utilization. Outcomes The MHI survey response rate was 61% (261/430). Respondents were distributed across class-years. Most were female (57%, 150/261). The majority agreed they could speak about mental health without judgment from peers (78%, 203/259) and faculty (57%, 149/260). Most (62%, 161/260) utilized mental health services during medical school. Of these, 41% (66/161) agreed that MHI programming contributed to their decision to seek care. On the 2021–2022 Mental Health Panel and Pritzker, I Screwed Up evaluations, almost all agreed that faculty/peers sharing experiences destigmatized mental illness (99%, 78/79) and making mistakes (96%, 152/159). Student Counseling Services utilization increased from 8% (32/389) for 2014–2015 to 19% (75/394) for 2018–2019 and 33% (136/406) for 2020–2021 for medical students, compared with 19% (2,248/12,138) to 21% (3,024/14,293) and 22% (3,285/15,004) for nonmedical students. Next Steps Faculty and peers sharing mental health stories may help reduce stigma and increase help seeking in medical students. Future work should explore the longitudinal impact of programming and disseminating similar initiatives at other institutions.…

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Mental Health in Medical Students: Effects, Statistics, and Coping (2022)

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Mental Health in Medical Students: Effects, Statistics, and Coping (2022)

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Mental health problems in medical students are far more prevalent than many people think.

Along with the academic and personal pressures placed on medical students, the global COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the challenges medical students face by adding unprecedented obstacles.

Mental health struggles come from various causes and have different signs.

The study cited various stressors for medical students, such as:

academic stress

issues with work-life balance

relationship conflicts

poor student guidance or support

volume of information

finances

uncertainty about the future

lack of time to oneself

responsibility

the need to be successful

The 2018 study surveyed 1,137 medical students in Florida and stated that "stress levels increase over the course of medical school, peaking either in the second year or when students enter the medical wards."

The sources of medical school stress can change depending on your year of study:

Academic workload was the biggest stressor for first-year students, while financial difficulties were the lowest stressor.

For second-year students, competition with peers was the highest stressor.

For third-year students, conflicts in work-life balance, romantic relationships, family demands, and personal medical conditions were the highest.

As for fourth-year med students, exposure to human suffering was the highest stressor.

Medical students' common mental health challenges include:

How mental health challenges manifest in medical students can vary by individual.

"Some students may seem withdrawn or isolated, while others may be disruptive or aggressive," says licensed psychotherapist Valentina Dragomir.

"Certain students might have trouble paying attention in class, while others might engage in self-harming behaviors [such as] drinking alcohol, impulsive sex," Dragomir says.

In some cases, mental health challenges cause med students to consider dropping out of school.

"Anxiety can guide students to overcompensate and study long hours, but it can also have a negative effect on how they remember the information during exams," Dragomir explains.

Depression

"I have seen so many burned-out students I almost started to believe that it could be a norm," says Dragomir.

She defines burnout as "a feeling of overwhelm and intense stress" that can be caused by:

intense workload

the pressure to perform well

a fear of not being good enough

"[Medical students] feel like they need to be perfect to succeed in school and in their careers," Dragomir says. "This can lead to a lot of anxiety and stress, as well as feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy."

The review also states that "burnout can undermine trainees' professional development, place patients at risk, and contribute to a variety of personal consequences, including suicidal ideation."

Depression during medical school was already common - and then came the pandemic.

The U.S. medical education system was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which greatly affected medical students.

Another 2021 study revealed that medical students reported 61% higher anxiety and 70% higher depression during the pandemic.

Options for medical students to seek help include:

speaking with a private therapist

consulting with a primary care physician

seeking a counselor through the school's student health services

talking with a trusted colleague or faculty member

confiding in a family member or friends

Medical students can keep tabs on their mental health by exploring coping strategies to support overall well-being.

"Taking care of yourself both mentally and physically, setting realistic goals, and planning breaks into your schedule can really help," says Dragomir.

Some of her other coping suggestions include:

stress-relieving activities such as yoga and meditation

creating boundaries from schoolwork

reaching out for support

spending more time outdoors

practicing self-care

regular exercise

The American College of Physicians also suggests improving social wellness by nurturing friendships and support systems. Spending time with people you enjoy and trust could promote your wellness and support and encourage you.

Eating a nutritious diet, getting enough sleep, and managing your financial well-being can also counter the mental health challenges you face.

For more resources, the University of Michigan offers a helpful guide for medical students.

Support for medical students is available, and the demand for support is growing.

By raising awareness, the medical community can help fight stigma around mental health and give up-and-coming doctors help.

If you're facing mental health challenges, there are methods to help you cope. You're not alone, and you also don't have to do this alone.

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Mental Health in Medical Students: Effects, Statistics, and Coping

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Academic and personal pressures on medical students can lead to mental health challenges. We look at some ways to cope.

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Mental Health Trends among Medical Students (2023)

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Mental Health Trends among Medical Students (2023)

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Mental health trends among medical students

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Student mental health concerns can manifest in several forms. Medical students juggling a multitude of trials (i.e., intense academic rigor, financial debt, sleep deprivation, lack of control, continual exposure to sickness and death, and training…

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Online Programs to Strengthen the Mental Health of Medical Students: A Systematic Review of the Literature (2022)

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Online Programs to Strengthen the Mental Health of Medical Students: A Systematic Review of the Literature (2022)

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Online programs to strengthen the mental health of medical students: A systematic review of the literature

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Medical students have been shown to be vulnerable to mental stress. Strengthening individual protective characteristics can be one cornerstone for promoting medical students’ mental health and thereby preventing mental disorders. Online programs are…

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““Let’s Work Together to Pass Medical School”: A Qualitative Study of Medical Student Attitudes to Teamwork, Competition and Collaboration (2024)

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““Let’s Work Together to Pass Medical School”: A Qualitative Study of Medical Student Attitudes to Teamwork, Competition and Collaboration (2024)

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‘Let’s work together to pass medical school’: a qualitative study of medical student attitudes to teamwork, competition and collaboration - PubMed

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Teamwork is vital to all types of work, and graduates of higher education programmes must be prepared to contribute to a wide variety of professional teams. This is especially true in healthcare, where graduates will work in multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) under considerable pressure. This study is a …

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"Competition between students was perceived as both positive and negative, but there has been a shift since our last study towards collaboration, with students now more willing to help each other succeed." (Watson, 1).

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"The MHI survey response rate was 61% (261/430). Respondents were distributed across class-years. Most were female (57%, 150/261). The majority agreed they could speak about mental health without judgment from peers (78%, 203/259) and faculty (57%, 149/260)" (Brenner, 3).

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"Although almost a third of medical students experience depression, only 15% of those with depression seek treatment. ¹ The reasons for lack of help seeking are multifaceted, but a major contributor is mental health stigma." (Brenner, 5).

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"Academic workload was the biggest stressor for first-year students, while financial difficulties were the lowest stressor." (Matejko, 10)

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"[Medical students] feel like they need to be perfect to succeed in school and in their careers,” Dragomir says. “This can lead to a lot of anxiety and stress, as well as feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy.” (Matejko, 21).

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"According to a 2021 studyTrusted Source of multiple centers, nearly 3 in 4 (74.7%) of medical students agreed the pandemic had significantly disrupted their education." (Matejko, 26).

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"Some schools, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), offer group teletherapy for students." (Matejko, 31).

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"Resilience describes a person’s ability to respond flexibly and appropriately to demand...recover from difficult or stressful situations without suffering any consequential psychological damage... resilience has been shown to be a modifiable construct" (Ungar, 10).