Medical students invited to a workshop on mental health

On April 9, the Latvian Psychiatric Association, Young Psychiatrist Section and psychiatry residents in cooperation with Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Narcology will organise mental health workshops for RSU medical students aimed at raising awareness and facilitating their understanding of excessive or prolonged stress that is occasionally faced by medical students which can lead to mental health disorders.

We - open, active and competent psychiatry residents, you - a medical student: we are the same age, sharing similar experiences and the understanding of what it means to study medicine. During the workshop, we will offer medical students the possibility to assess their psycho-emotional state, learn to understand one’s emotions and feelings and to acquire knowledge on the prevention of psycho-emotional stress, improvement of one’s psycho-emotional state and stress prevention strategies.

Medical studies are endlessly interesting and captivating, however every medical student experiences the situation when the “rose-coloured glasses” fall off when the study process becomes increasingly complicated – a huge amount of study materials to be absorbed along with one’s private and social life which may lead to an increased psycho-emotional load. Of all study disciplines, medical students are most inclined to depression, burnout and anxiety. According to scientific literature, the depression rate in medical students in alarmingly high – 15% to even 30% higher than in the general population. In the absence of appropriate social support, medical studies may result in sleep problems, anxiety, sexual disorders, willingness to relax by means of substances and even suicidal thoughts.

Nevertheless, we want our dream of becoming a good medical practitioner to be a happy journey. Mental health and emotional well-being must be addressed on a daily basis and one of the best forms of support is the encouragement and support by competent peers.

The seminar will be held on 9 April at the RSU Medical Education Technology Centre at 15:00 (Latvian and English groups) and at 16:00 (Latvian and English groups). Information about the exact room will be sent to participants after registration. Choose the seminar time and group by applying here:

At 15:00

• In Latvian - room No. 218
• In English - room No. 217

At 16:00

• In Latvian - room No. 146 and room No. 218
• In English - room No. 217

The number of participants in each workshop is limited to 40 places.