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UK medical students’ mental health and their intention to drop out: a longitudinal study
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  • Published on: 13 March 2025
    pandemic effects?

    Couldn't the high numbers of students with self-rated mental health problems or considering leaving med school simply reflect the fact that they were asked during the pandemic? Incredibly worrying for everyone but perhaps even more so for those having to cope with the effects without being properly trained yet.

    Conflict of Interest:
    None declared.
  • Published on: 14 February 2025
    Not just a tick-box exercise: a call to action
    • Ria Bansal, 4th Year Medical Student University Of Nottingham

    Dear Editor,

    We read with interest the article “UK Medical Students' mental health and their intention to drop out”. It reiterates the growing evidence of the critical intersection of mental health and the need for effective wellbeing support to prevent medical students from dropping out (1). It highlighted that medical schools need to encourage students to seek help to reduce the stigma around mental health (1). However, our recent survey from across 43 medical schools, with 534 responses found that the opposite is currently occurring across the UK (2). Our survey revealed that current medical school wellbeing provisions are largely performative, reduced to tick-box exercises that fail to deliver meaningful support.

    In our survey, we asked medical students how well supported they felt throughout their studies. It was disappointing that only 45% reported they had easily accessible psychological support. More alarming was the pervasive fears amongst students with some thinking “people get kicked off if it seems like they are struggling with mental health to prevent more suicides.” This perceived threat directly undermines the suggestion that students should be encouraged to seek help while there is still an unconscious stigma around mental health; perpetuating a dangerous cycle of silence.

    A toxic culture has taken root in medical education. One medical student stated in our survey “no one really cares what we do as being burnt out is just part o...

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    Conflict of Interest:
    2023/2025 Deputy Co-Chair (welfare) of the BMA Medical Students Committee