Perceived stress and barriers to seeking help from mental health professionals among trainee doctors at a tertiary care centre in North India

The Evaluation of a Mind-Body Intervention (MBT-T) for Stress Reduction in Academic Settings: A Pilot Study

“…Rates of distress are increasing in schools and universities [1]. Current research [2,3] indicates that the recent COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, has significantly worsened mental health issues in students, and there is growing concern regarding the long-term psychological consequences of this outbreak in higher education settings [3,4]. Under normal conditions, undergraduate students witness several important changes related to personal life and education.…”

“…During this transition, students might also experience minor psychological problems related to sleep, eating habits, and concentration [5]. Likewise, more severe psychological problems, such as mental disorders, also share onset within this age range [4], which might explain the high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality [2][3][4]. Though a few years older, graduate students, too, are often exposed to significant stress because of the pressure and the challenges posed by post-graduate programs.…”

“…Among graduate students, we believe that post-graduate medical students and students attending a post-graduate program in psychotherapy can be regarded as a special class because stress-related issues are particularly relevant to their work. Recent studies on post-graduate medical students [2,3] demonstrate that they are under severe stress and that a high level of stress leads to academic underperformance, absenteeism, and a poor quality of life. Moreover, graduate students attending a post-graduate program in psychotherapy, who generally hold a master's degree in psychology, are expected to be able to command state-of-the art information and other key skills in their field of study, including stress management and well-being.…”

“…Yet, further pressures arising from this expectation might lead to increased distress and feelings of failure in these students [7,8]. Despite experiencing significant stress, most students do not reach out for professional help [2]. Research indicates that the most important barriers to seeking mental health therapy among young adults include perceived stigma, self-denial of a mental health problem, negative attitudes about treatment, and practical barriers, such as not knowing where to seek help, cost issues, etc.…”

Perceived Peer Norms and Help Seeking for Depression in Indian College Youth

“…Within the framework of social norms, peers can play an important role in the lives of young people influencing help-seeking; and being perceived as weak by peers can be a major barrier to help seeking for mental health concerns from professional sources. 8,9 Social norms in general and perceived peer norms in particular have been extensively examined in the context of various health risk behaviours. 10 However, there is a scarcity of studies examining perceived peer norms for help seeking by youth in the context of depressive symptoms.…”