Prevalence of depression among students at Bacha Khan Medical College,Mardan

Objective: to assess prevalence of depression among medical students at a public sector medical college. material & methods: one hundred medical students (50 males and 50 females) were selected by random sampling technique from first year to final year mbbs. the student’s age range was from 18-25 years. a questionnaire and standard scale was prepared and used for assessment of depression among students. the data was summated by manual counting of variables and tabulated by using microsoft excel and microsoft word-2007. results: present study revealed that 45 students (25 female and 20 males) were having no depression,30 students (18 females and 12 male) have borderline depression,15 (6 females and 9 male) were having mild to moderate depression and 10 (6 females and 4 male) students were having moderate to severe depression. present study showed that 25% students have anxiety and depression (mild,moderate to severe) and that depression level continues to decrease from 1st year to 3rd year. in final year mbbs maximum level of depression was noted,which might be due to some factors such as going to hospitals,closer contact with critically ill patients,patient death,higher number of study hours and fatigue. in present study a low incidence of depression in female students as compared to male students (female =12% and male =13%) were observed. conclusion: it is concluded from the present study that high levels of stress and burn out have been documented among medical students. academic burden during final year,feelings of having their target a few steps away and anticipation of future responsibilities are the factors responsible for depression during the mbbs course. © 2016,khyber medical college. all rights reserved.