[Prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders in medical students. Transversal study in medical students in the Saint-Joseph University of Beirut].

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the emotional state of medical students and compare them to a control population (chemistry students), in order to assess the bad effect of academic studies on the mood of medical students.

METHODS: Beginning of September 2003, a questionnaire composed of three parts was distributed to all students in medicine and chemistry at the Saint-Joseph University (USJ), either at the start or at the end of their cours, to be filled-in anonymously. The first part was composed of demographic data; the second and the third parts were, respectively, the Beck questionnaire for depression and Hamilton's questionnaire for anxiety.

RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the two populations studied concerning the scores of Beck and Hamilton, neither depending on the classes nor on the depression or anxiety threshold. The prevalence found in the USJ medical students for depression (27.63%) and for anxiety (69%) was far greater than that found in the literature (23% for depression among American students and 41% for anxiety), but lower than that found in the university of Hong-Kong (48% of students having a Beck13 score>8). The forth year was the one that presented the most anxiety and depressive disorders in the seven years of medicine (44.32% of depression and 79.24% of anxiety). The psychiatric antecedents are the strongest predictors of anxiety and depressive disorders.

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders is not greater in medical students than in chemistry students.