• Health
  • Science
  • U.S.
  • Technology
  • Business
  • World
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Sports

Building a Better World

News and information

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Our Team

Major concern over med school alcohol abuse, says new report

March 17, 2016 By Jerry Newberry

Major concern over med school alcohol abuse, says new report

Med students turn to drinking to relieve stress of earning a degree.

Potential doctors are becoming dependent on alcohol to help them cope with the stress and demands of medical school and possibly, the enormous debt accrued to make it through, according to an article on usnews.com.

A new study involved inviting 12,500 medical students in the United States to participate in a survey concerning alcohol dependence or abuse.  About one-third of the invitees responded to the questionnaire.  The survey’s findings show that about 33 percent of the respondents reported issues with alcohol abuse, as compared to 16 percent of the general population, including surgeons and physicians.

The researchers pointed out the study only found an association with alcohol abuse and related issues, and not a cause-and-effect relationship.

The team noted a strong link to factors that would be considered as “burnout” issues and problem drinking, factors such as emotional exhaustion and large educational debt.  Other contributing factors include being at a young age as compared to graduated doctors, and being unmarried, according to the study authors.

With regard to the debt issue, the average cost of attending medical school has risen more than 200 percent from the period of 1995 through 2014, leaving the average graduate saddled with debt of around $180,000 by the time they finish their education and earn their degrees.

Recommending wellness programs in the schools to help the students deal with the problems associated with alcohol abuse and dependence, Eric Jackson, first author on the study, and a student an Mayo Medical School, adds programs such as these can help identify the causes of the stress that lead to abuse.  By making these acknowledgements and removing the barriers to mental health services, medical students can use support groups and therapy to assist them to cope with these factors that lead them to become dependent on alcohol.

The journal, Academic Medicine, recently published the findings from the study.

Sharing

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Filed Under: Front Page, Health

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Us

Facebookrss

Search:

Recent Posts

  • NASA’s InSight spacecraft makes important course correction May 26, 2018
  • Scientists outraged at latest Trump decision May 15, 2018
  • Huge uproar erupts over major incident at Utah park May 13, 2018
  • Incredible moon discovery stuns scientists May 12, 2018
  • Authorities shocked by discovery about common painkiller May 6, 2018
  • Outrageous crocodile experiment stuns scientists May 5, 2018
  • Great Barrier Reef is too quiet, scientists say May 1, 2018
  • Massive Hiroshima bomb discovery shocks scientists May 1, 2018
  • Earth will be slammed by massive asteroid April 29, 2018
  • Teens are doing something incredibly alarming in schools April 29, 2018
  • Huge discovery in Tasmania stuns scientists April 28, 2018
  • Shocking discovery in New Jersey stuns authorities April 22, 2018
  • Huge volcanic explosion could wipe out the United States April 21, 2018
  • Huge controversy erupts over world’s hottest pepper April 15, 2018
  • SpaceX is about to do something astonishing April 15, 2018

Copyright © 2021 Jones Kilmartin Group, LLC · Metro Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress