Depression; Private Undergraduate Medical Students

Abstract

Psychological stress is prevalent in medical schools and is associated with depression. The personal and social sacrifices young medical apprentices have to make in order to sustain a fine academic outcome in an exceedingly competitive education sets them under enormous strain. The estimated prevalence of depression among private medical students has been 19% in United States, 49% in India, and 60% in Pakistan. Pakistan boasts highest prevalence of depression globally among undergraduate private medical students. Additionally a lack of any prior study in this institution, this study aimed to find prevalence of depression in the undergraduate private medical college of Lahore. Setting: The subjects were students of Shalamar Medical and Dental College, Lahore a private institution, in a metropolitan urban population. Study Design: Cross sectional study based on systematic random sampling technique. Methods: A modified, self-administered, structured questionnaire based on Goldberg's depression scale was distributed to a sample of 240 subjects during March 2014, till October 2014. Higher total scores refer to higher depression levels. Prior to the initiation of research permission was sought from the institution's ethical review committee. The data entry and analyses were done in SPSS for Windows version 20.0. Results: The response rate was 80%. The age of students (n= 164) averaged 21.1 ±1.4 years. The prevalence of depression among undergraduate medical students of our setting was almost 63% (n= 122). Thirty one percent (n=59) were possibly mildly depressed, 9% (n=17) borderline depressed, 19% (n=37) mild to moderate cases, 20% (n=39) moderate to severe cases and 3 % (n=6) were severely depressed students. Almost 85% (n= 40) of the students from second year suffered from depression the highest prevalence among all undergraduate medical years. A substantial 41% (n= 36) and 42 % (n= 37) of students suffering from depression admitted to the use of taking stimulants like amphetamines and caffeine respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of depression is highest among the students of second academic year. Terminal illness of a family member and effect of law and order situation of the country also compromise the mental health of undergraduate medical students.