WPA Working Group on Medical Students: current initiatives and future priorities

Psychiatric issues impact individuals of all ages globally. Shortage of mental health professionals is a major concern especially in low- and middle-income countries. Fur­th­er, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to downsizing and even closure of various men­tal health services worldwide1-4. In the WPA Action Plan 2020-2023, capacity build­ing and promotion of psychiatry among medi­cal students is an important pillar5, 6. To this aim, a WPA Working Group on Med­ical Stu­dents has been created. The inau­gural meeting of this group was held on De­cember 21, 2020, attended by the WPA Pres­ident. This was followed by regular meet­ings. The remit of this Working Group includes four components: to identify opportunities for promoting psychiatry as a career among medical students; to identify organizations and individuals interested in participating and promoting WPA’s Action Plan in nurturing psychiatry among medical students; to liaise with other WPA Working Groups regarding medical students; and to support medical students around the world. Since the beginning of 2019, COVID-19 has caused significant disruptions in the day-to-day lives of millions of people around the world. Medical education is not an exception in this regard. The pandemic has impacted on in-person learning, medical school examinations, clinical rotations, faculty availability for supervision and future placements7. The pandemic has also impacted on the emotional well-being of medical students. A study done by members of our Working Group among 1,100 medical students from five medical schools in Pakistan found high rates of anxiety (48.6%) and depressive symptoms (48.1%) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study included 69% female and 31% male medical students, with approximately 25% reporting past psychiatric issues. One of the most concerning observations was that one in five medical students thought that it would be better if they were dead and 8% often thought about suicide during the past 2 weeks8. It is imperative that medical schools develop strategies and support systems to maintain medical student well-being. A major highlight of the activity of our Working Group has been the release of a promotional video for medical students entitled Why Psychiatry. This video was created to share perspectives from seasoned faculty, psychiatry trainees and medical students on the importance of supporting the psychiatry workforce around the world. Interviews included key themes encompassing medical student mental health, the diversity of psychiatric subspecialties, the interface of mental health with social determinants of health, and opportunities to partner with primary care providers. A consistent message was the critical shortage of psychiatrists and the need to support workforce development to address mental health needs. This video is available in English, French, Spanish and Russian for medical educators to share with their trainees and medical students (www.wpanet.org/post/why-psychiatry-medical-student-group-video-now-available-online). In addition to the video, the Working Group is developing a set of online tools for psychiatric educators. The first of these tools is an interactive self-learning module on the well-being of medical students, which is now available on the WPA educational portal. Self-care and wellness are often ignored in the formal medical school curricula9. The current pandemic has increased the visibility of burnout and depression in the health care workforce. This module plans to encourage educators and policy makers to implement student wellness policies and to support a learning environment which nurtures emotional and physical well-being. In order to augment the virtual resources, the Working Group has organized three in-person events to promote psychiatry a­­mong medical students and address burnout. These inaugural events were held in Pakistan, India and Qatar, with active par­ticipation from local medical students, who provided input on core topics. These events also served as a platform to support and men­tor medical students interested in psychiatry. The Working Group is active in publishing peer-reviewed articles, covering areas such as promoting psychiatry among med­ical students and the impact of COVID-19 on medical students10, 11. Additional research articles are planned and underway. All of the activities and initiatives of the Working Group are accessible on the dedicated section of the WPA website (www.wpanet.org/wg-on-medicalstudents). The Working Group has been active in presenting invited and peer-reviewed abstracts and symposia around the world. This included presidential and other symposia on psychiatry capacity building and medical education themes at the World Congresses in Bangkok, Thailand in March 2021, and Cartagena, Colombia in October 2021. Abstracts on the promotion of psychiatry were presented at the annual conferences of the Association of University Teachers of Psychiatry Annual Conference, UK in February 2021; at the WPA Regional Conference, Russia in May 2021; and at the 67th Virtual American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Conference in October 2021. An innovative contest was held among medical students in Mexico to submit papers on “The Role of Psychiatry after the Pandemic”. The top three papers were recognized during the 27th Congress of the Mexican Psychiatric Association in September 2021. Future directions include: a) to create online self-learning modules on “stigma” and “burnout” for medical students; b) to conduct a survey about psychiatry curriculum in medical education across medical schools in different countries; c) virtual and in-person activities to promote psychiatry among medical students and to address burnout among students; d) to liaison with regional and international organizations to promote psychiatry; e) presentations at the WPA congresses and other national and international conferences; and f) social media and video campaigns to promote psychiatry.