Scoping review of barriers to mental health service utilization among medical students and residents

Background: Undergraduate medical students and resident doctors face high rates of anxiety, depression, and psychological distress. Despite these issues, their mental health service utilization is very low; this can be attributed to various structural and attitudinal factors. The current research aims to highlight such barriers to accessing mental health care and bridge the existing research gap. Methods: A literature search on barriers to mental health treatment for medical students was conducted involving PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases, along with bibliographic search, from inception till 30th April 2023 to identify relevant English records with full-text available. Studies not involving medical students or not assessing treatment barriers, and non-original papers were excluded. Results: Our comprehensive literature search yielded 12 articles. We identified six key themes concerning barriers to accessing mental health services: stigmatization, attitudinal barriers, confidentiality concerns, time lack of and access to services. Discussion: Stigmatization was found to be a prominent barrier, while attitudinal barriers included beliefs that mental health problems are a sign of weakness and should be managed independently. Medical students and residents also worried about breaches in confidentiality affecting their interpersonal relationships and career prospects. Time constraints due to demanding academic and clinical responsibilities also posed challenges in seeking mental health care. These critical barriers to mental health service utilization among medical students and residents can be addressed through mental health awareness campaigns in college campuses, universal mental health screening in medical schools, providing internet-based services and collaborative programs with local mental health professionals to widen the treatment options.