“This shall pass too”—What stops medical students in central India from seeking mental health care?

Background: Medical students globally experience high levels of stress during training, often leading to anxiety and depression. Many students with mental health concerns do not seek treatment. Thus, understanding the barriers to accessing mental health care is crucial. Aims: To identify the barriers to seeking professional mental health care among medical students in central India. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 409 medical students at a tertiary care hospital in central India. The barriers to seeking mental health care were assessed using the Barrier to Access to Care Evaluation (BACE) scale. Qualitative data were gathered through open-ended question. The multivariate binary logistic regression model was performed to determine the factors associated with the practice of not seeking mental health care despite the need, along with descriptive analysis. Results: One-fourth of the participants reported not seeking care for mental health illness despite having need. Major barriers identified included attitudinal factors, such as wanting to solve problems independently (83.6%) and believing the problem would improve on its own (68.9%). Stigma-related barriers involved concerns about family perceptions (44.5%) and fear of being seen as weak (43.3%). Instrumental barriers included financial costs (23.5%) and lack of support (23.5%). Moderate psychological distress was associated with nearly five times higher odds, severe distress with nearly seven times higher odds of not seeking professional help. Conclusion: The study highlights significant attitudinal and stigma-related barriers preventing medical students from seeking mental health care. These findings underscore the need for institutional policies promoting mental health literacy, destigmatization, and early intervention to improve mental health outcomes and ensure the well-being of medical students.