Depression in Resident Physicians: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective: To complete a systematic review of the literature addressing major depression in resident physicians. Methods: In 2013, the authors completed a systematic review of articles addressing major depression in physicians in United States residency programs. The following keywords were used: anxiety, stress, and mood, medical residents or interns, physician residents, graduate medical education, depression, stress or anxiety, and suicide. Results: The prevalence of depression in resident physicians is higher than that of the general population. Many sociodemographic and residency-associated factors have been studied in their relation to resident physician depression. Only physical health, an unhappy childhood, and stress at work were found to have association with depression, while the amount of call, lifestyle, age, income, and season of the year were not associated with depression. Other factors had an equivocal relationship. Depression in resident physicians is associated with medical errors, decreased ability to handle work-related stress, leaves of absence, discontinuation of medical training, disruption in personal lives, and suicide. Intervention with treatment for depression, using a low-cost, confidential, off-campus program, was successful. However, physicians may hesitate to seek treatment for mental illness because of the professional consequences, such as difficulty with medical licensing, hospital privileges, and malpractice insurance. Conclusions: Major depression is common in resident physicians in the United States. It has a negative impact on the lives of the doctors and the patients whom they treat. There appear to be effective ways of assisting residents with major depression available to training programs. Keywords

Prevalence of Depression and Depressive Symptoms Among Resident Physicians

“…1-5 Beyond the effects of depression on individuals, resident depression has been linked to poor-quality patient care and increased medical errors. 6-8 However, estimates of the prevalence of depression or depressive symptoms vary across studies, from 3% to 60%.…”

Depression among Physicians that are Mothers in Mexico: A Cross Sectional Study

“…However, other studies have shown higher estimates. For example, a nationally representative survey showed a point prevalence of 7% in the United States, and in Mexico 15% [7,8].…”

“…Studies have suggested that physicians have higher rated of depression when compared to the general population [7]. Concerning the prevalence of depression in physicians, most studies have focused on medical students, interns and medical residents.…”

The work environment of junior doctors: their perspectives and coping strategies

“…Previous literature have also identified associations with sociodemographic factors such as physical health, difficult childhood experiences and work-related stress, yet very few studies to date have looked at the impact of working conditions on psychological distress in detail 6. The 1999 introduction by the Australian Medical Association of the National Code of Practice13 aimed to reduce burnout, medical errors and consequent patient morbidity 14.…”