Medical student syndrome: fact or fiction? A cross-sectional study

Abstract

ObjectivesIt is often reported by medical practitioners that medical students develop hypochondriacal concerns and symptoms relating to diseases they are studying, a phenomenon labelled ‘medical student syndrome’. However, the evidence that this syndrome exists and particularly that it contributes to an increased number of consultations (as typical hypochondriasis does) is weak. The present study investigates this phenomenon in terms of differences between medical and non-medical students in help-seeking behaviour.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingThree universities in London.ParticipantsMedical students (n = 103), non-medical science student controls (n = 107) and law student controls (n = 78), all third-year undergraduates, were recruited from within their universities.Main outcome measuresHelp-seeking behaviour was measured using the ‘Health Anxiety Questionnaire’ reassurance-seeking behaviour subscale; the overall number of doctors’ visits made for new health complaints since beginning university; a new ‘Hypochondriacal and Help-Seeking Behaviour’ scoring-system, which asked questions pertaining to not just the number but the nature of consultations, identifying participants who had experienced health concerns that were disproportionate to the diseases diagnosed.ResultsNo significant differences were found between medical students and either control group in any of the main outcome variables.ConclusionsThese findings fail to support the notion that medical students, more so than other students, seek medical advice for hypochondriacal health concerns. They are pertinent to clinicians due to the potentially negative consequences of incorrectly assuming medical students to behave in this way, including cursory evaluations and disintegration of the doctor–patient relationship.

Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 for Medical Students: Psychometric Properties of the Anxiety Measure for the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Simultaneously, they constantly worry about spreading infection to their families or partners, similar to the general public. As can be seen in the medical students' syndrome, those who lack practical experience in the field are more vulnerable to worrying about diseases due to their inadequate knowledge of diseases or symptoms ( 6 ). As COVID-19 continues to progress, medical students are forced to overcome the fear of an uncertain disease and simultaneously face the difficulties of working in hospitals just like other medical personnel.…”

Increased Frequency of Health Anxiety in Health Science Students: a Cross Sectional Study in a Greek University

“…The hypothesis that the risk for developing health anxiety is increased in medical students is old and its formulation was based on clinical teacher’s reports claiming that medical students frequently develop worries and symptoms of illness ( 5 , 6 ). Medical students experience a combination of stress and clinical knowledge which may cause them to overestimate the importance of insignificant symptoms and bodily sensations leading and tend to diagnose themselves with the diseases they are studying ( 7 , 8 ). Moreover, medical training is a demanding and stressful process which may have adverse impacts on the student’s mental health including anxiety and depression ( 9 ).…”

Prevalence of Illness Anxiety Disorder (IAD) and Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) among Medical and non Medical Students

“…Present study shows observed characteristics of fear or phobia after reading about diseases having strong significance for medical students than non medical students. However research has shows that medical college causes students to experience a large amount of psychological pressure due to the work required, the stress of examinations, the anxiety associated with new clinical experiences and the competitive environment [14] . This may be the cause of slight higher percentage IAD and SSD among medical students than non medical.…”