TRAINING FACULTY TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS AT RISK FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

1. TRAINING FACULTY TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS AT RISK FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS Manju Mehta & Rajesh SagarDepartment of Psychiatry All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi Introduction Procedure Prevalence of mental health problems in medical students • This was a pilot initiative carried out by Department of Psychiatry for the faculty of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, under the direction of the Dean and the Registrar. • Mental health problems have been a concern in Undergraduate students and Postgraduate residents in medical colleges. Medical education is inherently stressful and demanding. Selection to medical college is a life event that requires a significant change in life style. • 2.4% of medical students developed psychiatric morbidity severe enough to cause loss of time to the course and 1% of them required hospital admission (Salmons, 1983). • Guthrie et al (1995) found that 36% of medical students showed evidence of significant psychological disturbance . • A recent review of literature mapping 40 articles (between 1980 and 2005) on psychological disturbance in medical students suggest a high prevalence of depression and anxiety among medical students, with overall levels of psychological distress consistently higher than in general population and age matched pairs (Dyrbye et al, 2006). • Supe (1998) found that 73% of medical students perceived stress at various stages of MBBS course. Training session 3- hours focused training with interactive session Identification of common mental health problems Counselling skills Building RapportInterviewing Probing for problemsActive listening Problem Solving Lecture/ Discussion Case History Consequences of Poor Mental Health Role Play • May lead to negative impact on functionality of the student • Contributes to substance abuse, broken relationships, suicide and attrition from profession • Causes low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and poor adjustment. Monitoring & evaluation : • Faculty members were asked to identify students who need help. • They could discuss identified cases with trainers. Guidance to carry out counselling was given. • More referrals and consultations were sought after this activity. Role of Teachers • Teachers can play very important role in enhancing mental health of medical students • Can help in identification of : • signs and symptoms of poor mental health • behavioral changes in day-to-day life • mood problems • other major difficulties • Providing support to reduce student’s stress • Referring the student to mental health professional at the right time Feedback • 60% of the volunteer faculty members found this exercise useful • 35% of the participants felt that it should be carried out on a regular basis Conclusions Objectives • Mental health problems are of utmost concern for medical students • Teachers play a crucial role in helping students in managing their stress • Training sessions can be carried out on a regular basis for teachers Often students / residents hesitate to consult mental health professionals, i.e. psychiatrists or psychologists, due to stigma or lack of awareness of their problems. Departmental faculty has an opportunity to observe and identify mental health problems due to frequent and regular interactions with students / residents in their departments. Thus, the present activity was planned at AIIMS. • To provide training to faculty members in identifying mental health problems in students • To counsel students in overcoming stressful situations Future Directions • Training sessions could be carried out on a periodical basis for teachers • Development of training modules • Assessment of effectiveness of these modules at different places of higher education Sample • Two faculty members from each department were invited to volunteer for the training. • 56 middle and junior level faculty members participated.