Prevalence of depression and suicidal ideation in family medicine residents in Mexico

Background Medical training from undergraduate to residency shows high rates of depression and suicidal ideation in students. These findings have been associated with excessive hours worked, little sleep, fatigue, and stress, with a higher possibility of making medical errors and committing suicide within the following year. Objective To determine the prevalence of depression and suicidal ideation in family medicine residents. Methods Multicenter, cross-sectional, and exploratory study in resident physicians from 18 states of Mexico. A four-part questionnaire was sent: sociodemographic characteristics, experiences during medical residency, “Patient Health Questionnaire-9” (PHQ-9), and personal and family history. Results It was reported that 14.3% of resident physicians have moderately severe and severe depression. However, when including the subgroups of physicians who also present mild to mild-moderate depression, the prevalence increases to 59.7%. 16.7% of residents reported having had thoughts of death, and 7.9% reported one or more suicide attempts. Conclusions The prevalence of depression in family medicine residents is present in three out of five residents, and although suicidal ideation is also high, it is very worrying that almost 8% of the subjects had already attempted suicide, between one and three times higher than reported in another research.