Depression among medical students in Saudi medical colleges: a cross-sectional study

Hatem Alharbi, Abdulaziz Almalki, Fawaz Alabdan, Bander Haddad Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Introduction: Major depressive disorder is a common mental disorder worldwide that has many clinical presentations and is associated with many diseases. The aim of this study is to assess the levels of depression among medical students in Saudi medical colleges.Methods: A cross-sectional study with a convenience sample conducted in Saudi medical colleges. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used for screening and associated with sociodemographic characteristics.Results: A total of 2,562 medical students from 20 universities were recruited into this study, and 1,572 (61.4%) of the participants were females and 990 (38.6%) were males. Depression symptoms are found to be associated with college years, living conditions and smoking status (P<0.05).Conclusion: High levels of depression symptoms were found among Saudi medical students (83.4%). Students in the first years of college should be screened for depression, while education and support for medical students in these years are essential. Keywords: depression, medical students, Saudi Arabia, medical educatio