Page 68 - JCBP-2-3

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

Our study revealed that female medical students exhibit barriers to seeking help remain unclear. Out of 316 Pakistani
slightly higher depression scores compared to males; medical students, 44% had a negative attitude toward
however, this difference was not statistically significant. seeking professional help. When students were asked
In addition, we did not observe a significant disparity in about barriers to seeking help, social stigma was the most
PHQ-9 mean scores between genders within the doctor frequently mentioned factor. Beliefs about confidentiality,
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population. It is important to note that our study involved the impact on career progression, and other convictions can
a small sample of men, which could have influenced the also hinder seeking help. Research indicates that doctors
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results. Data from the general population often exhibit with high rates of anxiety, depression, and stress are more
higher estimates of depression in women. This difference prone to having negative attitudes towards seeking help for
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is not unambiguous among doctors. There are studies their mental health. It is important to find ways to help
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showing a significant link between female gender and doctors access mental health services when they feel their
depression in medical students and doctors. For example, mental health is deteriorating. Furthermore, it could be
a study conducted in Saudi Arabia from December 2021 helpful to develop and implement screening models that
to January 2022 among 1 - and 2 -year medical students are not only effective but also acceptable to clinicians.
nd
st
found statistically significantly higher levels of depression Artificial intelligence could also be used for this purpose;
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among female medical students. A study conducted e.g., studies reported that accurate voice recognition of
in 2019 in China, assessing emergency doctors, also depression can be as high as 90%. 52
discovered that women were more likely to suffer from It would be important to further investigate the risk
depression. In the scientific literature, we can also find factors for depression among doctors. For instance, a
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results showing no gender differences in depression or a study reported that shorter sleep duration is significantly
higher prevalence of depression among men than among associated with higher depression and suicidal ideation
women. A study conducted in 2020 found no difference scores. A study conducted in Egypt reported that 22%
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in the prevalence of depression between Moroccan male of doctors had been diagnosed with psychiatric disorders,
and female medical doctors. A study conducted in Nepal with no significant difference in depression prevalence
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reported higher depression rates among male medical across almost all specialties. They also indicated that
students and proposed that female students’ increased doctors with fewer academic degrees tended to exhibit more
involvement in extracurricular activities might have symptoms of depression. In another study, younger age
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contributed to better stress management, overall mental and employment at a primary care hospital were identified
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well-being, and lower depression rates. Further research as risk factors. Factors such as longer working hours,
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is needed to better understand the prevalence of depression living with family members aged ≤16 or ≥65 years, higher
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among genders and related factors. work demands, and lower recovery experience could
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Specific environmental factors of urbanization, such also have an impact on worsened mental health. It is also
as social deprivation, air pollution, street networks, and important to evaluate the risk factors using a cultural lens.
urban land-use density, are positively correlated with For example, a risk factor like neuroticism may be a risk
poorer mental health. Previous studies indicated that factor in the US population, but it may not increase the risk
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in developed countries, depression is more prevalent in of depression in the Chinese population. Race/ethnicity
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urban areas than in rural ones, while this is not the case in can also affect doctors’ mental health. In a study examining
developing countries. In contrast, a study in the United US doctors, the Hispanic/Latinx, non-Hispanic Black, and
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States of America (US) reported that people living in larger non-Hispanic Asian incidence of occupational burnout
urban areas had significantly lower rates of depression. was lower compared to non-Hispanic White doctors.
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Another study from the US did not find any differences in However, no disparities by race/ethnicity were observed
rates of psychiatric diagnosis between people from rural in terms of depressive symptoms or career satisfaction.
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and urbanized areas. Studies assessing doctors’ mental The exploration of the risk factors for depression among
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health based on the size of the city in which they live are medical students and doctors remains one of the most
lacking. Our study showed that doctors living in larger important directions for further research.
cities were more depressed, although the difference was not Protective factors should be an area of further
statistically significant. However, it would be meaningful research. One study reported that students who initially
to further investigate this aspect in future studies, as there had high levels of self-efficacy, resilience, and cognitive
is limited literature on mental health in relation to city size. self-regulation were more likely to be classified as

Doctors appear to experience depression more often non-depressed. Resilience was also identified as an
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than the general population; yet, the exact causes and important factor in addressing depression in another

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2024) 5 doi: 10.36922/jcbp.3570