Assessment Of Personality Morbidity In Medical Students Of A College In New Delhi

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:The presence of unrecognized or untreated personality morbidity in medical students could compromise their future professional conduct. Studies on the prevalence of personality disorders in medical students in India are scarce. This study aims to contribute to this important but neglected topic.AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:To identify potentially morbid personality features in individual medical undergraduates and to counsel the diagnosed individuals to seek professional counsel.MATERIAL AND METHODS:Randomly selected medical students of both genders of a medical college in New Delhi were the subjects. Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview – Version 6 (MINI-6.0) and Personality Assessment Schedule – Quick (PAS-Q) were the diagnostic tools used.RESULTS:Presence of Personality Disorder was nil. Personality Difculties were present with Anankastic (19.4%), Paranoid (11.7%) and Anxious (11.7%) types predominating. No subject was found to have any signicant features of Dissocial Personality Disorder. Major Depression and Anxiety Spectrum Disorders were co-morbid with Anankastic Personality Difculty. Paranoid Personality Difculty had Bipolar Affective Disorder and Anxiety Spectrum Disorders as co-morbidities. CONCLUSIONS: Personality morbidity in medical students is a reality not to be ignored. The current situation of a negligible number of studies on this matter requires to be corrected with larger multi-centric studies all over India.