Many medical students under stress: study

Many medical students under stress: study

Cause for concern: Up to 26% had exhibited suicide warning signs and only 13% had sought psychiatric help before ending their lives.

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According to a study, 358 suicide deaths among medical students (125), residents (105) and physicians (128) had been reported between 2010 and 2019; additionally, 1,166 students dropped out of medical colleges; there were several appeals for intervention from students and parents

BINDU SHAJAN PERAPPADAN NEW DELHI

A recent Right to Information (RTI) response from the National Medical Commission (NMC) said that 64 MBBS and 55 postgraduate medical students died by suicide in the past five years.

Additionally, 1,166 students dropped out of medical colleges. Of these, 160 were studying MBBS and 1,006 were pursuing postgraduate courses.

Concerned over the incidents of suicide and suicidal ideation among medical students, the NMC, India’s apex medical education regulatory authority, late in 2022 asked all medical colleges in the country to compile data on suicides, and on drop-outs among undergraduate and postgraduate students over the past five years.

The decision by the commission to seek this information came over the concern that ragging and overwork may have contributed to such outcomes, a senior Ministry of Health and Family Welfare official said.

He added that there were also several appeals for intervention from students and parents.

There is no clarity, however, on how it proposes to carry forward and use the collected data. The commission’s response is to a reply sought by RTI activist Vivek Pandey.

Those left behind

“A child ending its life is a death sentence for the parents,” said Narendar, an Assistant Sub-Inspector with the Railway Protection Force of South Central Railway, who lost his daughter, Preethi Dharavath, 26, a month ago.

It is alleged that Dr. Dharavath, a first year postgraduate student of the Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) in Warangal of Telangana, took her life after being harassed at her workplace by a senior student. The matter is under investigation.

Unfortunately, Dr. Dharavath’s parents are not the only ones dealing with the trauma of having lost their child in this tragic manner.

According to a study, 358 suicide deaths among medical students (125), residents (105) and physicians (128) had been reported between 2010 and 2019. Seven out of 10 suicides took place before the age of 30, said the study titled “Suicide deaths among medical students, residents and physicians in India spanning a decade (2010-2019): an exploratory study using online news portals and Google database”.

Woman residents and physicians were younger than the male victims at the time of suicide. Anaesthesiology (22.4%) followed by obstetrics-gynaecology (16.0%) had the highest suicide deaths. Academic stress among medical students (45.2%) and residents (23.1%), and marital discord among physicians (26.7%) were the most noticeable reasons for suicide. Mental ill-health was the next most common reason in medical students (24%) and physicians (20%), while harassment (20.5%) was a cause for residents.

Up to 26% had exhibited suicide warning signs and only 13% had ever sought psychiatric help before ending their lives.

“Suicide is a complex, multifactorial issue. The gruelling 24x7 shifts, untimely working hours, distance from family, hostile work environment and unsupportive administration, sleep deprivation, financial hardships, examination stress, inhumane ragging, sometimes confounded by caste-based discrimination, and regionalism are some of the hardships that student doctors face,” Rimy Dey, committee head, postgraduate studies, Indian Medical Association-Junior Doctors Network, said.

Suicide and self-harm are a major health and societal issue worldwide, with the greatest burden occurring in low-income and middle-income countries, The Lancet Psychiatry said in a 2019 article.

Those who require assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts may contact Aasra (022-27546669) or the Vandrevala Foundation (18602662345/18002333330).