As a member of the medical community and former depressed medical student (still depressed just no longer a student), I am absolutely livid at the proposal that the solution to the problem is to encourage individuals to seek help. Yes, there is no shame in depression, and yes, those with it should seek help. However, that is NOT going to fix the cause of the problem. Medical students, residents, and many academic and private clinicians are required to 1., work ungodly numbers of hours...with students and residents often pulling 30+ hour shifts without sleep and 2., hold responsibility for caring for every aspect of many to dozens of incredibly complicated and suffering patients' medical problems. This is all in addition to expectations of outside learning, the burden of debts to be repayed, and maintaining connections with family and friends. Nearly everyone ignores the fact that the entire system is screwed up and needs changing. The stakes are VERY high when you make a mistake: somebody's health or life. And yet the entire system is set up so that it is inevitable that you will (beyond those that being human predisposes to), but you have no choice. The work has to be done and no one else is going to do it. Furthermore, your medical education is pretty much useless in other arenas, but the debt still has to be repaid. The result is walking on eggshells throughout your entire training--indeed, even your entire career in some instances.

The root of the problem here is the system. I am amazed every day that there aren't MORE people breaking down (and I see it a lot). Don't be hoodwinked by the "work hours" lie that now everything is better than it used to be. First of all, "better" is arguable, as patients are more complicated now, turnover is higher, and often the patient load is greater than it used to be. Secondly, "better" is not the same as acceptable. Finally, work hours violations are more the rule than the exception.

Fix the system and there won't be so many suicidal medical students. And as a bonus, we'll probably have healthier patients, as well.

Agreed-

I also want to raise the point that "seeking help" comes with substantial obstacles beyond those already associated with depression. One has to be fairly desperate to seek help when one knows it will be then a "psychiatric illness" necessitating reporting on every licensure application, every credentials application for the rest of one's career. I had significant postpartum depression during my residency with active suicidal ideation and a plan, and did not become treated because of these obstacles; I knew I wasn't going to actually kill myself, and I knew it would get better eventually, so it was better to just suffer through months of suicidal depression than it was to get a prescription for Zoloft.

The work has to be done and no one else is going to do it

exactly... so if med students aren't doing the work then who will? I empathise with the ridiculous demands, but what is the solution then? The work's gotta be done by somebody.

Also, it is pretty widely known that the medical profession is extemely demanding. Why do so many people go into it in the first place? The competetiveness at most good medical schools is extremely high. If things are so bad, why are people so eager to join?

FirstInLastOut:

Why do so many people go into it in the first place? The competetiveness at most good medical schools is extremely high. If things are so bad, why are people so eager to join?

There's a difference between what you expect from medicine BEFORE going in, and what you experience practicing. It's a very rewarding field, and the nice side bonus is all your colleagues are educated industrious people (well.... most of them). Compare that to going to "back to school night" and seeing the energy level and drive of the kids' teachers, half of which are on daily Xanax and you appreciate more what you do and who you work with.

My family is in medicine and I used to work in a hospital, but did not choose to pursue medicine. Despite all the stress and negatives, I've seen few other professions that are more rewarding than medicine. Doctors and nurses deserve more respect than they are given (and a better system too!).

FirstInLastOut:

The work has to be done and no one else is going to do it

exactly... so if med students aren't doing the work then who will? I empathise with the ridiculous demands, but what is the solution then? The work's gotta be done by somebody.

Also, it is pretty widely known that the medical profession is extemely demanding. Why do so many people go into it in the first place? The competetiveness at most good medical schools is extremely high. If things are so bad, why are people so eager to join?

The simple solution is that there need to be more people doing the work. If someone is working 80 hours a week or pulling 30+ hour shifts, that is unacceptable. It's dangerous, it's irresponsible, and it's unbelievable. But the problem is perpetuated because the work is there and that one person is alone doing it. The answer is to get more people to divide the workload. Furthermore, I'm a firm believer in changing a broken system and not avoiding it. People are attracted to medicine for a lot of reasons, and they may or may not know how demanding it is. But even if you know you're getting in to something that is "demanding" that doesn't mean you should put up with abuse. That's ridiculous.