PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION;

Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of depressionand associated risk factors among medical students at different levels (1st to 5th year) of theirMBBS course. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Sargodha Medical College,Sargodha. Period: April to September 2016. Material and Methods: A sample of 200 medicalstudents (including 147 female and 53 male) was chosen by random sampling. PHQ-9 scalewas used to evaluate depression among participants. Data was collected on a speciallydesigned questionnaire containing sociodemographic and educational characteristics andwas analyzed using SPSS 16.0. Results: Out of 200 respondents, who participated in study,75.5% reached depression criteria. The age range of majority of students (53%) was 20-22 year.Factors such as female gender, year of medical college, staying in hostel, both pre and postexam depression, academic pressure, high competition, overburdened test schedules andworries about future were found to be significantly associated with depression. Conclusion:The results depict that frequency of depression among MBBS students during their academicyears is very high, making them highly susceptible individuals. This demands the necessityfor pervasive enactment of therapeutic measures by medical college administration, includingassessment, education and provision of mental health services.