https://goo.gl/NGldpE
What percentage of medical students do you think are depressed or suicidal? 5%? 10%? Go higher. Much higher. This week JAMA published a meta analysis and literature review out of Harvard revealing an overall prevalence of depression of 27% in medical students and a jaw dropping 11% prevalence of suicidality. Bad news kept coming with only about half of students who tested positive for depression seeking treatment.
Take a second and think about that. Imagine half of medical trainees testing positive for any other disease and opting to foresake any treatment. Is it any wonder that mental health disorders are undertreated and diagnosed in the general population when our own students don't feel they seek out effective care?
The study by Rotenstein et al looked largely at self reporting data from trainees across the world. The technical term for self reports of mental health is 'weaksauce' with publications showing men, vets, professionals and pretty much everyone ever.
And the numbers on graduate trainees who are struggling with mental health issues are even worse. Over 50% of UC Berkeley STEM graduate students were depressed according to a 2015 study.