Subjective experience of depressed mood among medical students at the University of Pretoria
Authors: Van Niekerk L , Viljoen A J , Rischbieter P , Scribante Lindi 
Published: June 2017

<div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 489.471px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.887133);" data-canvas-width="75.49499999999999"><strong>Introduction.</strong></div><div style="left: 157.351px; top: 489.471px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.932734);" data-canvas-width="308.59499999999997"> Following the suicide of a 4th-year medical</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 512.801px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.895698);" data-canvas-width="384.12000000000006">student, questions were raised as to whether medical</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 536.13px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.91774);" data-canvas-width="384.12">students are more vulnerable to depression and suicide than</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 559.46px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.851258);" data-canvas-width="384.04499999999985">their counterparts studying other courses at the University of</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 582.789px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.879866);" data-canvas-width="384.12">Pretoria. A literature search revealed that medical students and</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 606.119px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.844773);" data-canvas-width="384.0900000000001">doctors run a higher risk for suicide than other students and</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 629.448px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.87138);" data-canvas-width="72.61500000000001">professions.</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 629.448px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.87138);" data-canvas-width="72.61500000000001"> </div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 666.961px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.945913);" data-canvas-width="52.845000000000006"><strong>Method.</strong></div><div style="left: 134.701px; top: 666.961px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.924275);" data-canvas-width="331.26"> A questionnaire was devised and distributed to</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 690.291px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.891883);" data-canvas-width="384.0299999999999">medical students and a control group of other students, asking</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 713.62px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.921447);" data-canvas-width="384.1049999999999">about feelings of despair/hopelessness, suicide ideation and</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 736.95px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.897581);" data-canvas-width="384.12000000000006">previous attempts, knowledge regarding support structures</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 760.279px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.925892);" data-canvas-width="384.06">provided by the university, and willingness to use these</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 783.609px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.824324);" data-canvas-width="59.475">structures.</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 783.609px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.824324);" data-canvas-width="59.475"> </div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 821.121px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.789549);" data-canvas-width="44.06999999999999"><strong>Results.</strong></div><div style="left: 125.926px; top: 821.121px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.893066);" data-canvas-width="340.0050000000001"> Both groups of students responded similarly to all</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 844.451px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.914102);" data-canvas-width="384.075">questions. Frequency of diagnosed psychiatric illness, use of</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 867.78px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.923959);" data-canvas-width="384.1049999999999">medication, and suicidal thoughts and attempts did not differ</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 891.11px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.894306);" data-canvas-width="384.0300000000001">significantly. Both groups of students were unaware of support</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 914.439px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.924774);" data-canvas-width="384.1050000000001">services offered by the university, and both were unwilling to</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 937.769px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.901162);" data-canvas-width="384.04499999999996">utilise such services. The students seemed to have high rates</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 961.098px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.917634);" data-canvas-width="384.0300000000001">of depression in comparison with prevalence data from other</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 984.428px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.873365);" data-canvas-width="58.52999999999999">countries.</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 984.428px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.873365);" data-canvas-width="58.52999999999999"> </div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 1021.94px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.906502);" data-canvas-width="73.2"><strong>Conclusion.</strong></div><div style="left: 155.056px; top: 1021.94px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.902351);" data-canvas-width="310.90500000000003"> Attempts to improve support for medical students</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 1045.27px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.917705);" data-canvas-width="384.07499999999993">should address students’ awareness of available support</div><div style="left: 81.8563px; top: 1068.6px; font-size: 15.45px; font-family: sans-serif; transform: scaleX(0.875645);" data-canvas-width="276.11999999999995">structures and their willingness to utilise them.</div>