The Study of Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety in Undergraduate Medical Students – A Cross-Sectional Study

Depression and anxiety with other phobic and behavioral disorders manifest as a continuum of spectrum of psychiatric disorders, with social phobia being an important subset and particular type of anxiety disorder almost predominantly having its onset in adolescence. Depression and anxiety also have certain common biological underpinnings. Moreover, these comorbid disorders overlap with each other in many aspects. A cross-sectional study was done among medical undergraduate students in Adichunchanagiri Institute of Medical Sciences, BG Nagara, Nagamangala Taluk, from April 2020 to June 2020. The study comprised 100 students. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data regarding sociodemographic profile, depression, anxiety symptoms, social phobia, and their determinants. In the present study, out of 100 participants, 63 students had depression, mild mood disturbance was the most common type (31 students) followed by borderline depression in 17 students and moderate depression in 13 students. Two students complained of severe depression. Out of 33 students who had anxiety, mild anxiety was the most common type (18 students) followed by moderate anxiety in 11 students and severe anxiety was complained by 4 students. Our study highlights the fact that there is a prevalence of mild-to-moderate depression among students in our considered area and these findings necessitate the incorporation of various health-care interventions at the schooling level such as student counseling services offering mental health assistance to improve their overall well-being and personality from a young age.