When the Indian Medical Association published a report recently pointing out the low average life expectancy of doctors in Kerala, those in the medical field were almost unanimous in attributing it to work-related stress. Experts say that the situation of medical students is not different as depression and stress-related burnouts are often commonplace.
Both academic and non-academic issues contribute to the medicos’ stress, sending some of them over the brink — like the case of a 23-year-old girl at a private medical college in Kozhikode district who leaped to her death from the top floor of the college building recently.
Low stress tolerance
P.N. Suresh Kumar, professor of psychiatry, KMCT Medical College, told The Hindu that the stress-tolerance level among the new generation of medical students seemed to be low. “Many of them are impulsive and lack decision-making capacity. There could be a problem in their upbringing,” he said.
Medical studies are demanding and have a well-defined structure with a series of practical exams that require regular hard work. There is some amount of competition too. Coping with this is a bit tough. “There is a physiological limit up to which people can stand stress. If it goes beyond the limit, it can lead to depression and anxiety disorders,” Dr. Suresh Kumar said.
Anxiety disorders
Adjustment disorders and general anxiety disorders were the most common problems found among students.
They turn out to be emotionally unstable and there could be sudden mood swings. Some people were even turning to drugs, he pointed out.
When a postgraduate medical student who was reportedly suffering from depression committed suicide at the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, this May, the Kerala Medical Post Graduates Association (KMPGA) had urged the Vice Chancellor of the Kerala University of Health Sciences to set up a residents’ grievance cell at all medical colleges and also a similar mechanism at the State level.
The association had pointed out the need to set up groups involving medical teachers and graduate and undergraduate students. Such groups could only address non-academic issues and try to intervene in even economic and personal issues of students, said Rahul U.R., who was then the secretary of the association.
Without break
In a petition to the Vice Chancellor, the KMPGA had claimed that the resident doctors were under immense stress as they were forced to work without a break for hours and were not given mandatory weekly offs.
They had demanded that women resident doctors be provided maternity leave benefits compulsorily.
The association said that three PG students of Government Medical College, Thrissur, had met with road accidents in 2016. All of them had been working continuously for 48 hours.
Department heads were responding to requests for casual leaves and weekly off as if they were doing a favour.
Students who voiced dissent were met with threats that they would be failed in the exams. There had been instances of students clearing the exams after re-evaluation. The increasing instances of suicides from medical colleges were a matter of concern, they added.
Counselling centres
Dr. Suresh Kumar, however, said that though the university had sent a proposal to set up counselling centres for students, it had remained on paper.
“First and second year undergraduate students need to be mentored. Such counselling centres could have gone a long way in addressing even the concerns of parents too,” he said.
A functionary of the Kerala Medicos Joint Action Council, a platform of medical students and medical job aspirants, pointed out that the university had neglected their contention that such groups should only address non-academic issues. There should be a mechanism to identify depression cases in medical colleges itself and treat them accordingly, he added.
