Dear Editor, We read with great interest the letter titled "Availability of psychological support for medical students in Poland" [1]. As a group of Polish and British medical students at King's College London, UK, we have noticed several differences between the psychological support offered in the 2 countries. We believe that our experiences of both systems could offer a unique perspective on this topic and facilitate in finding a better solution. Sadly, we can relate to the difficulties Polish medical students experience throughout their academic degrees. In the UK, 29% of medical students have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, while 82% of them meet the criteria for "disengagement" and 89% for "exhaustion" [2]. Having observed these problems first-hand, we agree that the support should be more widely accessible. Just like in Poland, each British university decides on the level and type of psychological support available. However, despite such decentralisation of the support system, access to the services is easy, free-of-charge and well-advertised through universities' webpages. The British Medical Association, which encompasses all medical students and professionals in the UK, also provides support both in a form of a 24/7 help line and in-person sessions [3]. Active engagement of Polish medical unions could perhaps aid in setting up, running and popularising such services.
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