Psychosocial burden in medical students and specific prevention strategies

High rates of psychosocial morbidity among students are acknowledged. Compared to an age-matched population, medical students show higher anxiety and depression symptoms as well as higher suicide rates. Distress and burnout among medical students or doctors could potentially put patients at risk and pose a major issue in patient safety. The fact that young physicians in particular experience high levels of professional burnout in their residency training years reaffirms the need for professional initiatives at medical school level to ensure the early prevention of burnout or depression in future doctors. This review aims to summarize what is known about distress and psychosocial burden as well as the relevant prevention strategies for the specific group of medical students.