Survey reveals widespread concerns about the pressures of studying medicine
One in seven medical students has considered suicide during the course of their studies, and one in three has experienced a mental health problem, the findings of a new survey suggest.
Based on responses from more than a thousand medics – two per cent of the UK medical student population – the survey revealed widespread concerns about the pressures of study and the emotional impact of embarking on a medical career.
Previous studies have revealed high rates of depression and anxiety among medical students.
The new survey, conducted by the journal Student BMJ , also found 80 per cent of those who said they had experienced a mental health problem found the help available to them within their university either poor or only “moderately adequate”.
The British Medical Association’s student welfare spokesman said the findings were “shocking”, while the Medical Schools Council (MSC), which has recently issued new guidance for support of medical students with mental health conditions, said it was “crucial” students with concerns about their health felt confident enough to ask for help.
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Matthew Billingley, editor of Student BMJ, said that medicine had a reputation as one of the most intensive degrees.
“Only six in 10 applicants manage to get a place at medical school, and students often have a relentless timetable of exams as well as having to balance the emotional strain of seeing sick patients and uphold high professional standards,” he writes.
A survey of the general population in 2007 found that nearly 17 per cent had thought about committing suicide at some time in the course of their lives, while around a quarter are thought to suffer from a mental health problem over the course of a year.
The survey of medical students also found that one in four report binge drinking each week – compared to 18 per cent of all 16 to 24-year-olds – and more than one in 10 said they had taken class A,B or C drugs at least once.
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