Page 67 - JCBP-2-3

Journal of Clinical and
Basic Psychosomatics Depression among medical students and doctors

Table 2. PHQ‑9 scores among medical students and doctors a study in Greece in 2021 reported a prevalence of 45%,
with significantly higher rates among women. Regarding
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Depression severity Medical Doctors doctors, a similar prevalence to our study was observed
students (n=69)
(n=77) in a study conducted in Latvia in 2020, where 25% of
None – minimal (0 – 4), n (%) 12 (15.6) 20 (29.0) doctors exhibited symptoms of depression using the
PHQ-9 questionnaire. Similarly, using the same cut-off of
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Mild (5 – 9), n (%) 28 (36.4) 27 (39.1)
≥10, a study in Malaysia published in 2021 reported that
Moderate (10 – 14), n (%) 18 (23.4) 13 (18.8) 25% of residents have depression. In contrast, a study
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Moderately severe (15 – 19), n (%) 11 (14.3) 5 (7.2) conducted in Romania in 2022 reported exceptionally high
Severe (20 – 27), n (%) 8 (10.4) 4 (5.8) depression scores among residents, with a prevalence of
Depression (≥10), n (%) 37 (48.1) 22 (31.9) 73% using the ≥10 cutoff. If we consider depression scores
>5, all residents would meet the criteria for depression.
In the same study, depression scores for radiologists and
26% of doctors in Lithuania have depressive symptoms, infectious disease specialists were 34%. It should be noted
i.e., a PHQ-9 score ≥10. Our findings are also similar that the sample sizes in the mentioned study were small,
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to a study conducted in Lithuania during the COVID- with only 15 residents surveyed and 35 doctors. 34
19 pandemic period (December 2020 – February 2021),
which reported that 41.6% of medical students and Most of our reviewed cross-sectional studies consisted
residents had depressive symptoms with a PHQ-9 score of research conducted in 2020 – 2021, a similar timeframe
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≥10, although our study identified a higher prevalence to the COVID-19 pandemic. Systematic reviews and meta-
among medical students. Looking at the 2019 population analyses conducted during similar periods indicate a lower
data in Lithuania, the proportion of people experiencing depression rates among doctors compared to our research.
symptoms of depression was 18.1%. The highest prevalence For example, a systematic review and meta-analysis that
of depressive symptoms in Lithuania is observed among analyzed the prevalence of depression among doctors
people aged 75 and over (35%), and the lowest prevalence globally during COVID-19, including studies conducted
is among people aged 35 – 44 (11%). The prevalence of until March 2021, found that the pooled prevalence of
depression among people aged 15 – 34 is around 15%. depression was 21%. One of the conclusions drawn was
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The aforementioned study assessed depressive symptoms that while symptoms of depression during COVID-19 are
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using the PHQ-8. Research indicates that there is no high, they may not be higher than pre-pandemic levels.
difference in the operational attributes between the PHQ-8 The lowest score was found among imaging doctors, with
and PHQ-9 for distinguishing major depressive disorder. a prevalence of depression using the PHQ-9 being <7%.
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Both PHQ-9 and PHQ-8 exhibit comparable overall It is important to note that this study excluded doctors
scores, with a slight decrease in sensitivity observed with with diagnosed mental disorders, which may have
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the PHQ-8. However, their specificity remains similar. contributed to the low prevalence of depression found.
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Nevertheless, it is difficult to draw conclusions due to The highest prevalence of depression was found among
methodological differences in the studies, as well as the emergency medical doctors. Based on a Hospital Anxiety
fact that our research was conducted during a different and Depression Scale score of 11 or higher, the prevalence
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time than the data we presented for the general population was 74%. Another systematic review and meta-analysis,
of Lithuania. However, we can observe a tendency toward which analyzed the prevalence of depression in healthcare
poorer mental health among health-care professionals workers from December 2019 to September 2020,
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compared to the general population. found that 24% of medical doctors had depression. In
this systematic review and meta-analysis, the highest
Symptoms of depression among medical students, prevalence was found among doctors in China, with a rate
assessed using PHQ-9 with a cutoff of 10 or higher, of 45% using the Self-Rating Depression Scale. The lowest
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vary widely across different countries, ranging from prevalence was among pediatricians, at 8% using the
approximately 15 – 64%, 26-29 with the lowest prevalence 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, but the authors
in Nigeria and the highest prevalence among medical excluded mild depression scores. In the original article, we
students in Iraq. No gender differences were found in found that the prevalence is 17% when using a cut-off of
studies conducted in Nigeria, whereas in Nepal, symptoms ≥10. There is a lack of more recent studies that would have
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of depression were more common among women. Our collected data on doctors’ depression in 2023 or 2024. Our
findings are similar to those from European Union research shows slightly higher rates of doctor depression
countries, such as Poland, where about 50% of medical than those mentioned in the systematic reviews and meta-
students exhibited depressive symptoms in 2020, and analyses during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
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Volume 2 Issue 3 (2024) 4 doi: 10.36922/jcbp.3570