Medical Students' Quest Towards the Long White Coat

2017 ◽  
pp. 1-42
Author(s):  
Christina Ramirez Smith
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Medical Doctor ◽  
White Coat ◽  
Practice Of Medicine ◽  
Education Medical ◽  
Health And Well Being

Every year across the globe, thousands of students begin the quest towards becoming a medical doctor and donning a long white coat. Global research indicates that after beginning medical education, medical students' mental health and well-being dramatically declines. The loss of well-being continues into the residency and practice of medicine. The aim of this chapter is to broadly examine the pressures unique to medical students within the context of medical education training, higher education, and the general population. A call for medical education to adopt innovative policy, plans, and administrative and curricular changes designed to foster a culture conducive to the long-term positive mental health and well-being of medical students during training and into the internship and long-term practice of medicine concludes the chapter.

Medical Students' Quest Towards the Long White Coat

2021 ◽  
pp. 1257-1288
Author(s):  
Christina Ramirez Smith
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Medical Doctor ◽  
White Coat ◽  
Practice Of Medicine ◽  
Education Medical ◽  
Health And Well Being

Every year across the globe, thousands of students begin the quest towards becoming a medical doctor and donning a long white coat. Global research indicates that after beginning medical education, medical students' mental health and well-being dramatically declines. The loss of well-being continues into the residency and practice of medicine. The aim of this chapter is to broadly examine the pressures unique to medical students within the context of medical education training, higher education, and the general population. A call for medical education to adopt innovative policy, plans, and administrative and curricular changes designed to foster a culture conducive to the long-term positive mental health and well-being of medical students during training and into the internship and long-term practice of medicine concludes the chapter.

scholarly journals Social media and mental health: Reviewing effects on eudaimonic well-being

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Meier ◽  
Leonard Reinecke
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Self Actualization ◽  
Resilience Factors ◽  
Omission Bias ◽  
Health And Well Being

Do social media affect users’ mental health and well-being? By now, considerable research has addressed this highly contested question. Prior studies have investigated the effects of social media use on hedonic well-being (e.g., affect and life satisfaction), psychopathology (e.g., depressive or anxiety symptoms), or psychosocial risk/resilience factors (e.g., loneliness, stress, self-esteem). Yet, public concern over social media effects often centers on more long-term negative outcomes, which may be better captured by indicators of eudaimonic well-being. Indeed, neglecting the eudaimonic side of well-being may have introduced outcome omission bias, since eudaimonia is both conceptually and empirically distinct from other dimensions of mental health and may be uniquely affected by social media use. Specifically, psychology currently theorizes eudaimonic well-being to be best represented by the experiences of (a) meaningfulness, (b) authenticity, and (c) self-actualization. A research synthesis of how social media use relates to these core indicators of eudaimonia is currently missing, however. We thus present a first narrative review that synthesizes both theoretical and empirical links between three key social media uses (i.e., active, passive, and “screen time”) and eudaimonic well-being. The synthesis shows that while there are indeed several plausible theoretical links, the evidence is too scarce and inconsistent to allow definitive conclusions at this time. We instead give recommendations for how the field can close important gaps by investigating whether social media afford or constrain opportunities to find meaning, live authentically, and grow as a person.

Essentials for Education and Training for Tomorrow's Physicians

2017 ◽  
pp. 230-252
Author(s):  
Timothy Edward A. Barrett
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Current Approach ◽  
Changing Times ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
And Training

Education and training of medical students and postgraduate residents must undergo a critical review in light of the changing times and attitudes. The demands of life in general are enough to provide significant stressors for today's students in addition to coping with pressures of balancing passing exams with meeting the expectations of family and instructors. This chapter will highlight the realities of the effect of the pressures of study on the students' mental health and well-being. It will then describe several changes that can be made to the way medical students are trained which then shifts the focus to personal growth and development and away from the traditional goals of knowledge, skills and competencies for the goal of passing the exams. In the end, this chapter will challenge readers and institutions to pause and reconsider the current approach to training of medical students.

scholarly journals Distress among Brazilian university students due to the Covid-19 pandemic: survey results and reflections

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Von Krakauer Hübner ◽  
Marcella de Lima Bruscatto ◽  
Rafaella Dourado Lima
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
University Students ◽  
Mental Health Center ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Catholic University ◽  
Brazilian Students ◽  
Peritraumatic Distress ◽  
Health And Well Being

AbstractThe first case of infection with the new coronavirus was identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. In March, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined the disease epidemic as a pandemic. Thus, a quarantine was imposed by many governments. As a consequence, and given that epidemiological outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as Covid-19, are associated with psychological disorders and symptoms of mental illness, researchers at the Shanghai Mental Health Center have created the Covid-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI), in which the results are obtained: normal, mild/moderate distress and severe distress. The main objective of the study was based on the application of CPDI, in order to identify the health and well-being of Brazilian students from different undergraduate courses at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC/SP) during the Covid-19 pandemic and to test the hypothesis that medical students suffer more than students from other courses. The research is based on a cross-sectional observational study, in which we applied, using Google FormsR, the questions contained in CPDI, among with demographic data: age, sex, educational institution, undergraduate course and school year. The Index was applied online for seven days in which a total of 654 valid responses were obtained: 501 (76.6%) female and 149 (22.8%) male. Regarding age, 333 students (50.91%) were 17-20 years old, 279 (42.66%) between 21-25, 30 (4.59%) between 26-30 and 12 (1.84%) between 31-50. The results indicate that the participants reported significant psychological distress, according to the CPDI score. Practically 90% (87.92%) of the students experienced suffering, while only 12.08% did not suffer. The study provides the first empirical evidence on the level of psychological distress in Brazilian university students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, it suggests support and monitoring of university students during and after the pandemic, with effective and efficient intervention in their mental health.Summary boxesSECTION 1Researchers at the Shanghai Mental Health Center have created the Covid-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI), to measure the amount of psychological suffering of the population, due to the pandemic of Coronavirus. Before our research, the survey had been applicated in China and Iran. The main objective of the study was to identify with the survey, the health and well-being of Brazilian students from different undergraduate courses at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC/SP) during the Covid-19 pandemic and to test the hypothesis that medical students suffer more than students from other courses.SECTION 2The study provides the first empirical evidence on the level of psychological distress in Brazilian university students during the Covid-19 pandemic, practically 90% (87.92%) of the students experienced some suffering.

scholarly journals Sub-acute and long-term effects of ayahuasca on mental health and well-being in healthy ceremony attendants: A replication study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim I. van Oorsouw ◽  
Malin V. Uthaug ◽  
Natasha L. Mason ◽  
Nick J. Broers ◽  
Johannes G. Ramaekers
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Altered States Of Consciousness ◽  
Altered States ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
States Of Consciousness ◽  
First Time ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Background and aims There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that the psychedelic plant tea, ayahuasca, holds therapeutic potential. Uthaug et al. (2018) demonstrated that a single dose of ayahuasca improved mental health sub-acutely and 4-weeks post-ceremony in healthy participants. The present study aimed to replicate and extend these findings. A first objective was to assess the sub-acute and long-term effects of ayahuasca on mental health and well-being in first-time and experienced users. A second aim was to extend the assessment of altered states of consciousness and how they relate to changes in mental health. Method Ayahuasca ceremony attendants (N = 73) were assessed before, the day after, and four weeks following the ceremony. Results We replicated the reduction in self-reported stress 4-weeks post ceremony, but, in contrast, found no reduction in depression. Also, increased satisfaction with life and awareness the day after the ceremony, and its return to baseline 4 weeks later, were replicated. New findings were: reduced ratings of anxiety and somatization, and increased levels of non-judging 4-weeks post-ceremony. We replicated the relation between altered states of consciousness (e.g., experienced ego dissolution during the ceremony) and mental health outcomes sub-acutely. The effects of ayahuasca did not differ between experienced and first-time users. Conclusion Partly in line with previous findings, ayahuasca produces long-term improvements in affect in non-clinical users. Furthermore, sub-acute mental health ratings are related to the intensity of the psychedelic experience. Although findings replicate and highlight the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca, this needs to be confirmed in placebo-controlled studies.

scholarly journals IMPROVING HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN: A STRENGTHS-BASED INTERVENTION

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S356-S356
Author(s):  
Christine Fruhauf ◽  
Loriena Yancura ◽  
Aimee Fox ◽  
Nathaniel Riggs ◽  
Heather Greenwood-Junkiermeyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Services ◽  
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren ◽  
Self Assessments ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Many grandparents raising grandchildren experience depression. Few interventions take a strengths-based approach to improve their mental health. To address this gap, this study utilized an adapted version of Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC) for grandparents (PTC-G) to improve their self-care, communication, and self-efficacy. Grandparents completed self-assessments including the CES-D short form prior to the intervention, immediately after the 6-week program, and at 6-months. Focus groups were also conducted during the 6-month follow-up to further explore positive behavior change. Data from all sources were analyzed to show that the PTC-G program significantly lowered depressive symptoms of grandparents raising grandchildren. Qualitative data shows that grandparents report increased awareness and use of self-care practices and community services. By improving the health and well-being of grandparents raising grandchildren, the PTC-G intervention shows promise in reducing depression and improving long-term mental health outcomes in vulnerable grandfamilies.

Postpartum Mood Disorders Screening in the NICU

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 240-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Scheans ◽  
Rebecca Mischel ◽  
Margi Munson ◽  
Katya Bulaevskaya
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mood Disorders ◽  
Systematic Approach ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Long Term Outcomes ◽  
Tertiary Referral ◽  
Health And Well Being

AbstractMaternal depression is increasingly recognized as the leading complication of childbearing. A mother’s mental health impacts the well-being and long-term outcomes of her children. This column will discuss a systematic approach to screening for maternal postpartum mood disorders (PPMDs) and referring women to resources according to an established algorithm. This work was undertaken in a tertiary referral NICU and performed by dedicated NICU personnel with the goals of optimizing NICU infants’ outcomes and supporting maternal and family health and well-being.

scholarly journals The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and well-being of people living with a long-term physical health condition: a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Fisher ◽  
A. Roberts ◽  
A. R. McKinlay ◽  
D. Fancourt ◽  
A. Burton
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Being There ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions caused major global disruption. Individuals with long-term physical health conditions (LTCs) are at higher risk of severe illness and often subject to the strictest pandemic guidance, so may be disproportionally affected. The aim of this study was to qualitatively explore how living with a LTC during the COVID-19 pandemic affected people’s mental health and wellbeing. Methods Participants were people living with LTCs who participated in telephone/video call interviews based on a semi-structured topic guide. Key themes and subthemes were determined using deductive and inductive thematic analysis. Results The sample included 32 participants with LTCs (most commonly cancer, respiratory conditions or cardiovascular diseases), mean age 57 (SD 13) years, 66% female and 72% white British. There were four overarching themes specific to living with a LTC. These were 1) high levels of fear and anxiety related to perceived consequences of catching COVID-19, 2) impact of shielding/isolation on mental health and wellbeing, 3) experience of healthcare during the pandemic and 4) anxiety created by uncertainty about the future. Fourteen subthemes were identified, including concerns about accessing essential supplies and the importance of social support. Individuals who lived alone and were advised to shield could be profoundly negatively affected. Conclusions This study found that there were a number of aspects of living with a LTC during the pandemic that had a significant impact on mental health and well-being. There should be focus on how best to provide practical and social support to people with LTCs during a pandemic, particularly if they have to shield or isolate.

Commentary on “The experiences of Covid-19 ‘lockdown’ for people with a learning disability: results from surveys in Jersey and Guernsey”

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gemma Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
People With Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Long Term Consequences ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Over Time

Purpose This paper aims to consider the experiences of people with intellectual disabilities in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown restrictions. Design/methodology/approach This commentary reflects on the issues raised by Morris et al., and in the wider literature. Findings Although there have been some benefits to lockdown for people with intellectual disabilities, mainly they have experienced isolation, increased mental health and well-being challenges, difficulty in accessing services, support and adequate adapted information. Originality/value This commentary argues that it is important to continue to capture the experiences of people with intellectual disabilities now and over time to assess the long-term consequences of the pandemic and to design services which are respondent to their needs.

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