Investigation of the Prevalence of Suicidal Thoughts among Medical Students: The Role of Academic Burnout

Suicide is a multi-stage process including suicidal thoughts, planning to commit suicide, attempting to commit suicide, and taking action to end life; Therefore, suicidal thoughts are the first step to end life and one of the predictors of committing suicide (1). Suicidal thoughts are a type of preoccupation with death that has not yet taken on a practical aspect (2). Investigating suicide in medical students is of double importance because they are the active force of society (3). The most common reasons for committing suicide in this group include stress about education, relationship concerns, family problems, depression, hopelessness, anxiety, and financial concerns (4). A review study conducted in 43 countries of the world regarding the prevalence of depression and suicidal thoughts in medical students indicated a prevalence of 9.3 to 55.9 percent (5). Specifically, studies conducted in different countries also showed suicidal thoughts in medical students in Pakistan 36.6% (6), Egypt 12.7% (7), Bangladesh 17.6% (8), India 9% (9), Iran has a high prevalence of 16% (10).