Projection of mental health pathology in medical students and its relationship with teaching and the COVID-19 pandemic

. Introduction: There is a high prevalence of mental health (MS) pathologies in medical students. It is possible that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased them, affecting the personal and academic sphere. Objectives: To analyze the MS, the impact of COVID-19, the changes in the perception of the educational environment and the clinical internship in relation to psychopathologies and the follow-up by Primary Care (AP) and the Center for Applied Psychology (CPA). ) from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM). Methods: The MeMind application was used to collect sociodemographic variables, screening, and responses to the educational environment and clinical practice questionnaires from 201 UAM medical students (14.6%). Results: 44% have low well-being; 31.5%, possible depression; 31.7%, possible anxiety; 55.2%, risk of addiction; 17.3%, suicidal ideation; 8.1% possible psychosis and 15.1% consumption of psychotropic drugs. 16.2% are followed up by AP/SM and 2% by the CPA. Low well-being and the risk of depression are higher in the first years and decrease in the sixth year. However, the consumption of psychotropics increases during the race. Regarding the pandemic, low well-being, possible anxiety, and depression are associated with individual problems (eg, economic, personal loss). Online teaching appears to have had a negative impact on the educational environment and clinical internship, and thus on well-being and depression. Conclusions: the pandemic has affected mental health, the educational environment, and the clinical internship of UAM medical students.