BMJ  2007;334:1335 (30 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.39254.905764.1F

Letters

MTAS

Mental health of applicants seems to be deteriorating

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

We are surveying the impact of Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) and the Medical Training Application Service (MTAS) on the mental wellbeing of junior doctors.¹ The preliminary results from the 790 online anonymous responses to date are disturbing and require an urgent response.

Overall, 395 (50%) respondents were women, 636 (80%) held UK/EEA passports, and 527 (67%) were aged 25-29.

Most worryingly, 165 (21%; 95% confidence interval 18% to 24%) respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: "I have been having more thoughts of ending my life than usual"—an increased level of suicidal risk in an already vulnerable professional group.²

Most trainees (740, 94%) admitted to higher than usual stress levels over the past six months, 759 (96%) attributing it to MTAS/MMC compared with 411 (52%) attributing it to financial problems.

Respondents agreed, or strongly agreed, with disturbances in their sleep (523, 66%), appetite (330, 42%), and energy levels (571, . . . [Full text of this article]

¹ Ware, Hertfordshire SG12 9DZ, ² Royal College of Psychiatrists, London SW1X 8PG

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