The Prevalence of Burnout and Depressive Symptoms in Medical School

Abstract Introduction: Different studies have shown that rates of depression and burnout are higher in medical students than in the general population. The American Association of Medical Colleges has recommended US medical schools to create wellness programs that decrease mental health issues in medical students (Greenburg, 2013). Study Objectives: This project assesses a baseline point prevalence of depression and burnout among University of Connecticut (UCONN) medical students to determine needs for services and to provide a baseline to measure the impact of future interventions to improve student mental well-being. Results: Forty-two percent of respondents had a positive screen for depression, compared with 26% of the general population. Approximately forty percent had high levels of burnout, compared with 27% of the general population. The response rate was 59.1%. In addition, 148 suggestions were collected from the student body about interventions to improve medical student mental health. Discussion: Hopefully, this data can feed a longitudinal quality-improvement project at this particular medical school to see if student-suggested interventions have the potential to decrease the rates of depression and burnout in the student body. This may set the foundation for an innovative wellness program that is built from student suggestions