Location
Philadelphia, PA
Start Date
10-5-2021 12:00 AM
End Date
13-5-2021 12:00 AM
Description
Background: Medical students have a particularly higher incidence of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation compared to the general population. Consequently, there is a need to address students’ mental health as a component of professional development. At a medical school in the northeastern United States, we utilize a student-led, medical student-only forum that focuses on mental health topics and experiences. The intent is to educate and advocate for mental health acceptance and treatment through open discussion among peers. It is anticipated that this forum results in professional help-seeking behaviors and continued mental health discussions both inside and outside of the school community.
Methods: This study reviewed voluntary surveys of first and second-year students over two years following a two-hour Mental Health Perspective (MHP) forum. The survey inquired about help-seeking behaviors and continued mental health discussion specifically resulting from the MHP forum.
Results: 102 first and second-year medical students completed the follow-up survey. 50% of students endorsed having mental health concerns during medical school. As a result of the MHP forum, 1 in 5 respondents were able to identify new personal mental health concerns and 1 in 4 sought professional mental health treatment services. Nearly 3 in 4 attendees reported discussing mental health topics with peers with whom they have never discussed mental health before. Over half of the students continued to discuss mental health topics with peers outside of the school community and nearly the same amount performed self-guided research on mental health topics following the MHP forum.
Conclusions: This study exemplifies the value of open discussion in the realm of mental health, especially in graduate medical education. Events like the MHP forum are a cost-effective and influential modality to aid in ameliorating the stigma surrounding mental health and to advocate for mental illness to be properly treated and addressed in the medical student population.
Embargo Period
6-7-2021
Addressing Mental Health in the Medical School Setting Using a Peer Forum
Philadelphia, PA
Background: Medical students have a particularly higher incidence of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation compared to the general population. Consequently, there is a need to address students’ mental health as a component of professional development. At a medical school in the northeastern United States, we utilize a student-led, medical student-only forum that focuses on mental health topics and experiences. The intent is to educate and advocate for mental health acceptance and treatment through open discussion among peers. It is anticipated that this forum results in professional help-seeking behaviors and continued mental health discussions both inside and outside of the school community.
Methods: This study reviewed voluntary surveys of first and second-year students over two years following a two-hour Mental Health Perspective (MHP) forum. The survey inquired about help-seeking behaviors and continued mental health discussion specifically resulting from the MHP forum.
Results: 102 first and second-year medical students completed the follow-up survey. 50% of students endorsed having mental health concerns during medical school. As a result of the MHP forum, 1 in 5 respondents were able to identify new personal mental health concerns and 1 in 4 sought professional mental health treatment services. Nearly 3 in 4 attendees reported discussing mental health topics with peers with whom they have never discussed mental health before. Over half of the students continued to discuss mental health topics with peers outside of the school community and nearly the same amount performed self-guided research on mental health topics following the MHP forum.
Conclusions: This study exemplifies the value of open discussion in the realm of mental health, especially in graduate medical education. Events like the MHP forum are a cost-effective and influential modality to aid in ameliorating the stigma surrounding mental health and to advocate for mental illness to be properly treated and addressed in the medical student population.