Med Student Depression

[GladifImakeit]

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I know SDN isn't exactly scientific, but I am curious to get a sense of how many med students really are depressed. I'm not talking blues - I'm talking depressed.

Choice 3 is supposed to mean you were previously depressed with suicidal ideation.

 

[loveoforganic]

Please establish a relationship with a psychiatrist now if you haven't already. If you have, please let them know what's going on

 

[GladifImakeit]

Thank you for your concern but I am fine, just curious about how common depression really is among med students.

 

[drizzt3117]

Thank you for your concern but I am fine, just curious about how common depression really is among med students.

Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.

 

[ensuii]

I know SDN isn't exactly scientific, but I am curious to get a sense of how many med students really are depressed. I'm not talking blues - I'm talking depressed.

Choice 3 is supposed to mean you were previously depressed with suicidal ideation.

drizzt3117 is here for you if you need someone to talk to.

 

[dr zaius]

I remember hearing in Doctors in Training that something like 25% of 3rd and 4th year students are depressed.

I was mildly depressed at the end of first year. The work was just so that I wasn't kept extremely busy like second year giving me time to think about things. I realized how much I missed my family, my old friends, and my old city.

 

[FIREitUP]

This seems like projection to me.

 

[illegallysmooth]

I know some people that were probably clinically depressed, and others far from it. I think it partly depends on where you're coming from and who you're with. I moved out of a city I disliked to an area I love, left a grad program I hated and started a PBL program I loved, and my boyfriend came with me. Other people left programs/jobs they liked in places they liked with people they loved to move to a place they disliked to start a program they dislike without the people they love. Plus the stress of med school itself - seems like that could make anyone depressed.

 

[GladifImakeit]

Don't worry I'm not allowed to own firearms 😛

 

[Scarletblack]

I was at some point due to something which got out of control with my family.

What got me out of it was realizing that it's only me, not other people or things, that can make me happy and that it was my responsibility to take care of my happiness.

But then my situation isn't really that common. Perhaps if you go in thinking that life will be easy once you get into medical school and find out it's not, then you'll be depressed. On the other hand, I just think of the people who can't get into medical school, the people who can't get a higher education, the people who don't live in the US (I come from a third world country) and then the people who don't have enough to sustain themselves.

My problems are awesome!!

 

[illegallysmooth]

I was at some point due to something which got out of control with my family.

What got me out of it was realizing that it's only me, not other people or things, that can make me happy and that it was my responsibility to take care of my happiness.

But then my situation isn't really that common. Perhaps if you go in thinking that life will be easy once you get into medical school and find out it's not, then you'll be depressed. On the other hand, I just think of the people who can't get into medical school, the people who can't get a higher education, the people who don't live in the US (I come from a third world country) and then the people who don't have enough to sustain themselves.

My problems are awesome!!

I watched an episode of Taboo that showed families who made a living by cleaning out temporary graves with their bare hands. They spent all day scooping out rotting corpses for $2/day (too many dead people + not enough cemetery space = rental graves). That image really stuck with me. My problems are miniscule in comparison.

 

[Bananainpajamas]

huh, good timing. Just posted a question about this. I'll be interested to see the results. I wonder also how many people are actually getting help?

 

[GladifImakeit]

So, what do you guys think? You believe over 50% of med students are or have been depressed?

 

[mmmcdowe]

So, what do you guys think? You believe over 50% of med students are or have been depressed?

I believe that 50% have had at least a minor depressive episode, if not full on DSM IV major depressive episode.