Why Medical Students Avoid Mental Health Care: Study Flags Stigma And Self-Reliance

Despite growing awareness about mental health, a large number of medical students in India still avoid seeking professional help even when they feel they need support, according to a recent study by doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Nagpur.

Titled “This Shall Pass Too”—What Stops Medical Students in Central India from Seeking Mental Health Care?, the study has highlighted how stigma, strong beliefs in self-reliance, and fears about confidentiality prevent many young doctors in training from reaching out for help. The study was conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital in central India.

The cross-sectional study, published in the latest edition of the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, surveyed 409 undergraduate medical students to understand the barriers that prevent them from seeking professional mental health care. The findings reveal a worrying gap between recognising mental health problems and actually asking for professional support.

Nearly one in four students — about 26.4% of the participants — said they did not seek professional help for mental health concerns in the past year even when they felt they needed it, said lead author Dr. Glory Ghai from the Department of Community Medicine at AIIMS, Nagpur. The co-authors of the study were Dr. Mubashshera F. Khan, Dr. Jaya P. Tripathy, and Dr. Ranjan Solanki.

The researchers noted that the gap points to deep-rooted attitudes and social pressures within the medical community itself. Attitude-related barriers were found to be the most common reason for students avoiding professional care. Many students believed they should deal with their problems on their own rather than seek help.

About 83.6% of students said they preferred to solve their problems independently, while 68.9% believed their mental health issues would improve on their own without professional treatment.

This reflected the strong culture of self-reliance among medical students. Medical training is demanding, and students are often expected to manage stress and long working hours. However, researchers warned that this belief in handling problems alone may delay treatment and allow mental distress to worsen.

Social stigma around mental illness also emerged as a major barrier. Nearly 44.5% of students said they worried about what their families might think if they sought professional help. Another 43.3% feared they might be seen as weak for admitting they were struggling with mental health problems.

Many students also feared being judged by their peers or being labelled as “mentally ill”. Some believed such labels could affect their academic performance or future medical careers.

Concerns about confidentiality were also common. Some students said they were uncomfortable seeking help within their own medical institution because they feared their teachers or senior doctors might learn about their problems and treat them differently.

Others said they found it difficult to talk openly about personal issues with mental health professionals they did not know.

Apart from social and psychological barriers, practical challenges also prevented students from seeking care. Around 23.5% of participants said financial difficulties were a barrier, while a similar number reported that they did not have enough support to seek professional help. Busy academic schedules and lack of time for consultations were also cited as reasons.

Interestingly, the study found that students with higher levels of psychological distress were actually more likely to avoid professional help. Statistical analysis showed that students with moderate distress were nearly five times more likely not to seek care, while those with severe distress had almost seven times higher chances of avoiding treatment.

Researchers noted that the finding shows how complex help-seeking behaviour can be. Even when students recognise that they are struggling, fear, stigma, and negative attitudes may stop them from approaching professionals.

Responses from students in open-ended questions further supported these findings. Many students said mental health problems should be handled personally rather than through professional counselling or treatment.

Some students believed their problems were not serious enough and would improve with time. Others said they preferred sharing their concerns with family members or close friends instead of approaching doctors or counsellors.

The study found that family members were the first choice for emotional support, followed by friends. Professional healthcare providers were much lower on the list.

Dr. Om Prakash, Professor and Head of the Psychiatry Department at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Delhi, termed the findings “worrying”.

Various studies in India estimate that around 34.5% of medical students suffer from anxiety and nearly 39% from depression.

“Unfortunately, delaying professional help can worsen mental health and affect both wellbeing and academic performance. Medical institutions must create a culture where seeking psychological support is seen as normal and responsible, not a sign of weakness,” he said, adding that the findings underline the urgent need for stronger support systems within medical colleges.

The study authors have also recommended regular mental health screening for students, better awareness programmes about mental health, and easily accessible counselling services that ensure strict confidentiality.

Ensuring privacy is particularly important, the experts said, suggesting that medical colleges should keep students’ mental health records separate from academic records to reduce fears about disclosure.

The need for such a support system is already becoming evident. According to the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), a large number of those seeking help at its mental health helpline launched last year were medical students preparing for competitive exams such as NEET-PG and NEET-SS, who reported severe exam-related stress. Many junior resident doctors who contacted the helpline said they were struggling with heavy workloads and long working hours, said Dr. Sajal Bansal, who oversees the mental helpline at FAIMA.

Meanwhile, senior doctors reported stress related to service conditions and interpersonal relationship problems, while some female doctors sought help for pregnancy-related challenges and work-life balance issues.

“These experiences, as highlighted by the study and our helpline, reflect the growing mental health burden within the medical community and underline the urgent need for stronger institutional support systems for doctors and medical students,” noted Dr. Rohan Krishnan, Chief Patron of FAIMA.