High amounts of stress, loans, exams and the prospect of a small salary lead to alcohol abuse.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – The thought of having to pay almost $200,000 from an intern salary, countless exams and tons of course materials to memorize, a limited amount of sleep and the pressure of having to find time to practice all of the things they learned that is a lot of stress for a young adult. Studies have shown that students in Med School are more likely to abuse alcohol than any other specialty.
This week the journal Academic Medicine published a study that concludes that students in Med School are more likely to abuse alcohol than any other specialty. According to the data provided by the author, more than one-third of students who attend Med School admitted to struggling with drinking problems.
The number is astronomically seeing as the general population only records sixteen percent of alcohol abusing individuals. Moreover, medical students were more likely to develop an addiction to alcoholic beverages than their peers who already finished school and are practicing physicians or surgeons.
Liselotte Dyrbye, an internist at Mayo Clinic and lead author of the study, blamed the high risk of alcohol abuse on the daily stress that the students are forced to face. Medical students are facing a high debt, lonely unmarried life and an incredible amount of work.
All of these elements contribute to an alcohol abuse situation, as it is described in the medicine textbooks. According to them, alcohol abuse can be diagnosed when an individual often drinks and relies on alcohol drinks to soothe his spirits.
In order to reach these conclusions, Dyrbye, and her team sent a questionnaire to 12,500 students across the US. One-third of them decided to participate in the study and sent Dyrbye the filled out questionnaire.
Among these, 1,400 respondents admitted having struggled with alcohol dependence and abuse. By comparing the data obtained with that already available, the Mayo Clinic internist and her team concluded that students in Med School are more likely to abuse alcohol than those with another specialty.
The numbers worried Dr. Dyrbye and, according to her, she already sent some suggestions to the Medical School Institutions. Her propositions include a wellness center where the student can benefit from free and unlimited mental health help.
Furthermore, she suggested that the institutions find a multifaceted solution when it comes to paying off the educational loans because student debt is the primary reason for which students in Med School are more likely to abuse alcohol.
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