Depression and Medical School
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Loading ...Proof that some of what I was writing about is normal, but also serious with respect to mental health. The New England Journal of Medicine published an article just two weeks ago on this very subject.
One excerpt:
Why does being a medical student increase the risk of depression? Raymond believes that students’ coping strategies and personal health deteriorate as they progress through medical school. Students “see themselves going into a very narrow tunnel,” she said. “A lot of the depression we see halfway through the [first] year — it’s a reaction to having constricted themselves down to studying these subjects in a very intense way. It’s pretty unidimensional.”
Symptoms of depression in medical students can be difficult to distinguish from the effects of the stress inherent in student life. Students often dismiss their feelings of despondency as a normal emotional response to medical school, where they live from test to test and don’t take time for themselves.
I think knowing what to watch out for and not having any stigmas about seeking help (so that you aren’t pressured to be “well” just for its own sake) is probably more than half the battle in preventing it from happening. They don’t say “Physician, heal thyself” for nothing!
Medical and Health | enrico | 
October 4, 2005 2:00 am
By Anonymous, October 7, 2005 @ 9:42 am
Depression
The JAMA article is so important to read for a variety of reasons. I guess the most important one is that it will help to address stigma. One of my many professional endeavors is to debunk stigma about Depression. So great that you not only took notice of the JAMA article but that you are posting it on your blog.
~Deb
http://drdeborahserani.blogspot.com/