Premedical student here, but desire to spark a dialogue and possibly obtain insight.

[JakeXOg]

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It is very saddening to have read that within 5 days 2 NYU medical students have taken their own lives. While I am not a medical student, I desire to see the insights as to what the culture is like in medical schools with this situation. Is it truly that difficult? If you are a medical student do you have advice for fellow students? Advice for those that desire to attend a medical school?

What actions are being taken by institutions to combat these situations?

I understand that residency and med school demand a extreme commitment of your life, but I want to possibly see from those actually going through the process as to what it is truly like and how as a group this problem could be fought.

This might seem naive coming from a premed, but if nothing more I’d like to spark a dialogue for those of you on this journey and bring attention to the situation.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[BluegrassBuckeye]

I can only speak for my school, but any mental health issues a student might be having that aren't being addressed are not due to a lack of resources or support from the school. We are constantly being reminded of the various counseling services offered at our school, both one on one and group counseling just to talk about anything that might be bothering you. I've never personally utilized these resources but it's nice to know they're there if I needed to. I'm sure some schools are better than others, but I'd have to imagine counseling of one form or another is probably available to all medical students so I'm not sure what else the institutions themselves could do to combat these situations. You make the resources available, but you can't make anyone utilize them.

 

[el_duderino]

I believe it was one medical student and one resident, FWIW. There are discussions about this on SDN and elsewhere. There's a thread on this very incident already. I don't want to be glib, but if you have something to contribute I suggest you do it there.

 

[Newyawk]

It is very saddening to have read that within 5 days 2 NYU medical students have taken their own lives. While I am not a medical student, I desire to see the insights as to what the culture is like in medical schools with this situation. Is it truly that difficult? If you are a medical student do you have advice for fellow students? Advice for those that desire to attend a medical school?

What actions are being taken by institutions to combat these situations?

I understand that residency and med school demand a extreme commitment of your life, but I want to possibly see from those actually going through the process as to what it is truly like and how as a group this problem could be fought.

This might seem naive coming from a premed, but if nothing more I’d like to spark a dialogue for those of you on this journey and bring attention to the situation.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Im not sure but id say important things to consider:
What is the relative risk of developing a mental illness (including depression) in the medical profession as compared to the general population?
What is the relative risk when compared to other very competitive professions (investment banking, for example)?
Is this a medical profession issue, or an issue seen in hypercompetitive environments?
If the answer is the latter it still doesnt absolve anyone of fault here, but it clarifies the situation.

In my opinion, as somebody who has never suffered from a (diagnosed) mental illness, i can STILL see how med school and residency could push somebody off the cliff and surface mental issues that maybe otherwise would have remained quiescent.

 

[Goro]

It is very saddening to have read that within 5 days 2 NYU medical students have taken their own lives. While I am not a medical student, I desire to see the insights as to what the culture is like in medical schools with this situation. Is it truly that difficult? If you are a medical student do you have advice for fellow students? Advice for those that desire to attend a medical school?

What actions are being taken by institutions to combat these situations?

I understand that residency and med school demand a extreme commitment of your life, but I want to possibly see from those actually going through the process as to what it is truly like and how as a group this problem could be fought.

This might seem naive coming from a premed, but if nothing more I’d like to spark a dialogue for those of you on this journey and bring attention to the situation.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

At my school we take student mental health very seriously. We have full time counselors, and have organized activities on things like mindfulness.

Other schools do so as well. For example:
Student Health & Wellness: Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Division

Do a google exercise: type in [med school name] + student mental health and see what pops up.

One unfortunate thing hampering us is that many high achieving people view seeking help as a sign of weakness or a loss of face.

 

[Turkishking]

At my school we take student mental health very seriously. We have full time counselors, and have organized activities on things like mindfulness.

Other schools do so as well. For example:
Student Health & Wellness: Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Division

Do a google exercise: type in [med school name] + student mental health and see what pops up.

One unfortunate thing hampering us is that many high achieving people view seeking help as a sign of weakness or a loss of face.

Depends on the situation

 

[IM-2019]

At my school we take student mental health very seriously. We have full time counselors, and have organized activities on things like mindfulness.

Other schools do so as well. For example:
Student Health & Wellness: Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Division

Do a google exercise: type in [med school name] + student mental health and see what pops up.

One unfortunate thing hampering us is that many high achieving people view seeking help as a sign of weakness or a loss of face.

Our school does this sort of thing too, but the general consensus among students is that it's not very useful. Advice about sleeping more, socializing, and eating/exercising better is really repetitive. People would do those things more if they had time and energy for them. I usually find myself wishing I had that extra hour or two off instead.

And there is a stigma with seeking mental health care as a physician, and I blame the med schools and residencies for making students have to hide those things.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

We have wellness activities all the time. Even then there are students who still have difficulty with depression and honestly every student will have to deal with it in some form or another at some point in their training. There are free counselors and many people willing to help.

Medical school is a furnace. There is intense pressure to do well, to learn more information than you ever thought you could, and it is a constant slog. I highly suggest before coming to medical school that you have a personal plan of what you will do when (not if) the depression monster finds you. If you have a plan in place when you are doing well then it’s easier to work through it and can be less overwhelming. This is what I’ve found in my personal life. Also don’t be afraid to talk to someone.