Suicidal ideation is a highly prevalent concern in medical students. High levels of stress and adverse learning environments act to the detriment of students’ well-being during the formative years. This has raised concern among institutions about identifying students at risk and creating interventions to ensure students’ safety. At our institution, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (EMCS) of Tecnológico de Monterrey on all our four campuses (Chihuahua, Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey) protected time was intended to allow undergraduate students to optionally answer a survey named Healthy Mind Study (HMS) which is a screening tool designed by the Student Wellbeing Department (SWD) to identify students with signs of mental affection and suicidal risk. Also, a QPR training into a compulsory module for first-semester students of nutrition, psychology, dentistry, biosciences, and medicine was facilitated. This course aims to enable students to identify, persuade, and refer at-risk peers. The HMS was answered by 439 students from the different campuses with the identification and close follow-up of 9 students at risk, 2 of whom showed signs of suicidal risk. All of our first-year students were QPR certified. These interventions enable institutions to not only identify students at risk but also to educate the rest of the students to work as a community and identify peers who may be struggling with mental health issues. Identifying risk and creating awareness about sensitive topics is a first and powerful step toward eliminating stigma and prejudice around them. The integration of interventions around suicide prevention should be included in all institutions to ensure our student’s well-being.

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Suicide Prevention in Health Sciences’ Students: Identifying Risk and Creating Awareness

  • R. Solís-Peña,
  • E. A. Méndez-Reguera

摘要

Suicidal ideation is a highly prevalent concern in medical students. High levels of stress and adverse learning environments act to the detriment of students’ well-being during the formative years. This has raised concern among institutions about identifying students at risk and creating interventions to ensure students’ safety. At our institution, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (EMCS) of Tecnológico de Monterrey on all our four campuses (Chihuahua, Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey) protected time was intended to allow undergraduate students to optionally answer a survey named Healthy Mind Study (HMS) which is a screening tool designed by the Student Wellbeing Department (SWD) to identify students with signs of mental affection and suicidal risk. Also, a QPR training into a compulsory module for first-semester students of nutrition, psychology, dentistry, biosciences, and medicine was facilitated. This course aims to enable students to identify, persuade, and refer at-risk peers. The HMS was answered by 439 students from the different campuses with the identification and close follow-up of 9 students at risk, 2 of whom showed signs of suicidal risk. All of our first-year students were QPR certified. These interventions enable institutions to not only identify students at risk but also to educate the rest of the students to work as a community and identify peers who may be struggling with mental health issues. Identifying risk and creating awareness about sensitive topics is a first and powerful step toward eliminating stigma and prejudice around them. The integration of interventions around suicide prevention should be included in all institutions to ensure our student’s well-being.