Thoughts of self-harm or suicide in the last 12 months were reported by 16.2 per cent MBBS students while the number was recorded at 31 per cent in MD/MS students, according to the report by the National Task Force on Mental Health and Well-being of Medical Students
New Delhi: Nearly 28 per cent of UG and 15.3 per cent of PG medical students reported having been diagnosed with mental health conditions, according to an online survey conducted by a National Medical Commission (NMC) task force.
The survey, which included 25,590 undergraduate students, 5,337 postgraduate students, and 7,035 faculty members recommended that resident doctors work no more than 74 hours per week, get a weekly one-day off and seven-eight hours of daily sleep.
Thoughts of self-harm or suicide in the last 12 months were reported by 16.2 per cent MBBS students while the number was recorded at 31 per cent in MD/MS students, according to the report by the National Task Force on Mental Health and Well-being of Medical Students.
According to the task force survey report that was finalised in June this year, feelings of loneliness or social isolation are common, with 8,962 (35 per cent) experiencing them always or often and 9,995 (39.1 per cent) sometimes.
Social connectivity is an issue for many, as 8,265 (32.3 per cent) find it difficult to make or maintain social connections and 6,089 (23.8 per cent) find it ‘somewhat difficult’.
Regarding adequate knowledge and skills for managing stress, 36.4 per cent reported that they feel lack of knowledge and skills to manage stress.
Faculty or mentors are seen as extremely unsupportive by 18.2 per cent.
According to the survey, the majority of students (56.6 per cent), find their academic workload manageable but heavy, while 20.7 per cent consider it too heavy, and only 1.5 per cent find it light or too light, the survey showed.