The information regarding the state of mental health among medical students, particularly regarding depression, is a significant cause for concern. In fact, current research shows that approximately twenty five percent of medical students in the United States exhibit symptoms of a mental health disorder and some reports suggest that the rate of depression among medical students is more than twice that of the general population. Furthermore, the rate of depression has been noted to increase throughout the course of medical school although some reports suggest that the transition years from basic-to-clinical sciences yield the highest prevalence numbers. Nonetheless, the ever-increasing academic demands of medical school can create significant stress for these students who often experience subjective anxiety, which co-occurs depression, and may ultimately influence their overall health and wellbeing.However, medical students commonly underestimate the risk of depression associated with their population and although they are taught to view mental health disorders in a manner similar to any other disease, depressed students tend to associate a certain stigma with depression when coping with their own mental health issues. As a result, medical students with depression often remain undiagnosed and undertreated despite the availability of effective medications and confidential mental health services. The increased prevalence of depression and its under-diagnosis in this population may have negative consequences that extend beyond the individual student. This paper examines the prevalence of depression among medical students, possible reasons and consequences of their limited treatment, and solutions that have been proposed to help alleviate this burden. Particular emphasis is placed on the latter in order to provide recommendations for depressed medical student counseling and treatment options within the Polish medical education system.
The Internet is a popular and useful tool that has become an integral part of the lifestyle in many cultures but it can also be the focus and cause of psychosocial problems leading to Pathological Internet Use (PIU) or Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). IAD is a growing international concern which involves a small but significant number of the Internet users who gradually lose control of the time allotted to their online activity and continue “surfing” the Internet despite its damaging effects regarding their social and psychological welfare. Overuse of the Internet often has negative impacts with regard to an affected individual’s occupation or academic performance as well as their relationships and finances. IAD commonly incorporates a myriad of symptoms, which may include craving, preoccupation, loss of control, psychomotor agitation, anxiety, hostility, withdrawal, and depression. Although the associations of IAD with social, educational, and physical variables have often been investigated since the disorder was first recognized in the late 1990s, less attention has been paid to documenting its correlations with mental variables such as depression, anxiety, and stress. However, an increasing proportion of psychological research is beginning to focus on the relationship between problematic Internet usage and depression. This review article examines the current scientific literature discussing the associations between IAD and depression in adolescents and university students. Specifically, this article will examine several studies dealing with depression as a symptom, comorbidity, an essential component of an emerging cycle that may enhance symptoms of IAD, and as a multidimensional symptom measure in IAD. The article will also discuss new research approaches for dealing with the adolescent and university student populations, the importance of recognizing and treating underlying depression in IAD, and the need to increase regional IAD research, especially in central and eastern Europe.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.