Saúde mental dos estudantes de medicina na Universidade Federal de Alagoas: expectativas e desafios na formação acadêmica

Abstract

The mental health associated disorders of medical students are frequently, however, are few who search for a treatment, besides those who postpone it. According to researches, between the impediments are the prejudice and stigma that the mental disease carry, the difficulty of search for help and show vulnerability, the association of feeling depressed or anxious with weakness, leisure, apathy and immaturity, factors that generate the increase of anxiety levels and the learning income at quotidian tasks, low self-esteem, and insecurity. Otherwise, this work presents elements about expectations, the challenges and academic adaptation of the first period of the Medicine graduation course of Universidade Federal de Alagoas (Alagoas Federal University). The study had the depression occurrence description on medical students; to associate the mental health problems with the academic formation as well as to identify the Mental Health Program’s contribution to these students, considering their perspectives. The method applied was quantitative, with a descriptive nature and application of a standard questionnaire, the sample consisted of 65 students of the first period of medicine course interviewed, the total was 100, 49,23% being on 2019.1 semesters and 50,77% at 2019.2. The results point that the students obtained relevant punctuation to the depression symptoms from the Beck questionnaire, corresponding to 54,68% of the sample, 24 students (37,50%) presented mild or moderate symptoms, 10 (15,62%) presented moderate to severe and 1 (1,56%) presented serious symptoms. Considering the relevance of this result, the research provided the production of a scientific paper and an intervention product. The paper analyses the mental health conditions and its relation with the academic formation of the first period of students in the first period of medicine graduation. The intervention product constitutes of an informative manual that give orientations on projects, services and actions available to the students at the university, including the Programa de Saúde Mental da Pró-reitoria Estudantil (Pro- rectory Program of Mental Health) and actions to promote, prevent and assist associated with health. We believe that this research is socially and academically relevant in the current context, considering the need for training a professional able to drive, with autonomy, his learning process along with the professional life, to adapt to the changes, thinking critically and making decisions founded in his evaluation.