A Response to “Depression and Anxiety Among Medical Students: A Brief Overview.” – The Issue of Stigmatisation in the Medical Profession [Response to the Letter]

Dear editor

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the letter by Anushka Sharma¹ comments. It is apparent that we did not discuss the barriers in place that facilitate increases in rates of mental ill-health amongst healthcare professionals in our brief review. However, we pointed out to some factors that potentially increase the risk of depression and anxiety among medical students. We appreciate the author’s point of view that stigmatization of mental illness is a widespread societal issue which affects the medical profession and its workers. In our overview, we took account of the importance of mental illness and its associated risk facotors, and we emphasized how important it is to synthesize a higher level of evidance in this undeniable topic.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this communication.