Anxious, depressed: Should medical schools screen their students?

It is generally recognized that medical students enter a demanding and competitive environment during their undergraduate studies and that this may cause significant stress (1) as well as epidemiological, psychological, educational and social factors in order to identify high-risk groups that may require targeted interventions. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in online databases for cross-sectional studies examining prevalences of depression among medical students. Studies were included only if they had used standardised and validated questionnaires to evaluate the prevalence of depression in a group of medical students. Random-effects models were used to calculate the aggregate prevalence and pooled odds ratios (ORs. The latter may contribute to or even cause adverse effects including high levels of anxiety, depression and the use of drug and alcohol amongst medical students (2, 3).