Suicide in Medical Students
Medical students have always had the dream of becoming a doctor – finishing school, driving a Mercedes-Benz, wearing the white jacket with a stethoscope around one’s neck. This is how society pictures these medical students after they finish medical school. However, the true problem of this scenario lies within the basis of the education of a medical student. While attending medical school, many students are faced with an overwhelming amount of stress along with high expectations of holding exceptional grades. This topic has recently submerged itself into news media after a significant number of students have been accounted for committing suicide due to these pressures. Suicide in medical students is increasing at a high rate due to overwhelming stress and pressure from others, therefore a solution must be drawn to prevent this issue from occuring.
The coined term for suicide among medical students is referred to as “suicidal ideation” which is a medical term for people who have had thoughts about committing suicide along with how they plan to do it (Al-Khalidy and Hussen, 2013). Suicide awareness lacks tremendously in the United States and more people need to consider the fact it is happening at an increasingly high rate (Al-Khalidy and Hussen). Medical programs are not designed to be easy nor are they meant for every one. The relationship between medical students and the fact they are committing suicide stems from the relationship between stress and the idea that all doctors must prevent death. To be exposed to gruesome body parts, blood, corpses and young children who cannot be saved takes a unique individual that has much responsibility and tolerance for such. This is one of the main reasons as to why students are feeling overwhelmed. Medical students turn to suicide because they feel it is the only solution to overwhelming stress and high expectations they are held accountable for. They also feel as though if they cannot...