Volume 6 Issue 4 April 2016
Taking care of medical students’ mental health
Medical professional course is considered one of the toughest ones, and is consequently associated with considerable degree of stress. Some degree of stress might be constructive as it helps the student in improving their academic performance. However, increased pathological stress or distress can result in students becoming demotivated, lead to
increased chances of developing anxiety and depression, and can foster a feeling of despair. Thus, cognizance of increased stress is important and so that students who experience such ‘distress’ are helped. The assistance to medical students can be in the form of counseling, relaxation measures, tips and sessions for time management and increasing
academic yield, and in rare circumstances, medications. However, medical students are hesitant to seek help from mental health professionals, despite qualified professionals being available near them. Various factors including stigma can be attributable to this reluctance to seek help. So, it is important to disseminate correct information about psychiatric disorders in the undergraduate medical curriculum, give exposure to psychiatric patients in the rotations, and provide accessible care to medical students who need help. Stigma of seeking mental health help needs to be countered so as to make the psychiatric services more accessible to medical students.
Assistant Professor, AIIMS. Delhi
