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One in 5 medical residents report depression symptoms: Survey
The Health Ministry has pledged to provide mental health treatment and set up a special task force after finding that nearly 20 percent of medical residents nationwide were suffering from depression of varying severity when they took part in a recent survey, almost five times the ministry's estimate for the general population.
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Stock illustration of hospital workers (Shutterstock/sfam_photo)
D
octors are calling for better working conditions for resident physicians, after the Health Ministry found that one in five medical residents were suffering from depression during a recent survey.
Conducted on March 21, 22 and 24, the self-report survey involved some 12,100 medical residents at 28 teaching hospitals under the ministry, or 94 percent of all resident physicians nationwide. The respondents were asked to fill out a questionnaire designed to detect signs of depression and the severity of the disorder.
The survey results showed that around 22 percent of the respondents had varying symptoms of depression.
The figure was almost five times the estimated 4.5 percent of Indonesians over the age of 15 suffering from depression, according to the ministry’s 2018 Basic Health Research (Riskesdas).
Around 16 percent of medical residents participating in the survey reported signs of mild depression, while 0.6 percent presented symptoms of severe depression.
Symptoms of depression include continuous low mood or sadness, lethargy and avoiding contact with friends and close relatives, according to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service. Doctors often diagnose the severity of the disorder based on how frequent or bad the symptoms are, how long it lasts and how much it affects an individual’s daily life.
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