A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that some medical students are reluctant to admit that they suffer from depression, fearing harsh judgment from their peers.
According to lead researcher Dr. Thomas L. Schwenk from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, medical students suffering from moderate to severe depression are the most likely to fear judgment and criticism when admitting their condition.
"Whether the stigma perceived by depressed medical students is a sign of illness (i.e., a negative cognitive distortion), as the authors suggest as a possibility, or an accurate ‘read’ of the culture of medicine, it is important to deconstruct stigmatized attitudes toward mental illness," said Laura Weiss Roberts of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.
Schwenk and his research team examined 500 medical school students and discovered that 14.3 percent reported moderate to severe depression. Of those students, 56 percent believed they would not be respected if they sought help for their condition.
"Indeed, the future of medicine rests on the shoulders of today’s medical students, and the care with which medical school administrators and faculty attend to their learning and well-being may bring good to them as well as to the patients of tomorrow," said Roberts.
