Alarming Psychiatric Disorder Afflicting Medical Students
Over the last seven months, several cases of a newly recognized psychiatric disorder have been identified in the area. The disorder, referred to by the medical community as estudante neurotica, or more commonly “burn out syndrome,” has manifested itself almost exclusively among College of Medicine students, with other sporadic cases presented throughout other graduate programs in the area.
The disorder seems to be slow onset, starting with emotional changes and slowly becoming systemic, with first symptoms including difficulty sleeping, changes in weight and diet, mood swings and irritability, as well as altered social interactions. Later signs include nausea, vomiting, cold sweats, clammy hands, dry mouth, anxiety, arrhythmias and hypertension. Feelings of insufficiency, inadequacy, extreme highs and lows, antipathy, disinterest, inability to stay awake during class, increased desire of isolation and disconnect from their peers and others are also common among individuals with the disorder. Some individuals appear to show signs of obsessive nature, attempting to control their environment at all times, only to exacerbate their feelings of disorder. Other signs may be evident in individuals’ dress and personal hygiene, with an impressive decrease in importance given to self-preservation, and in some cases, a decreased frequency of showering may be recognized by distinct body odor. Memory loss, loss of notion of time and place and general cognition are also present in most cases. Some individuals also present confusion in the distinction between place of residence and place of study, often due to spending increased amount of time in places outside of the home. In several individuals, the inability to communicate and hold conversations about subjects other than science has been noted; furthermore, the ability to identify appropriateness of discussing topics at certain times may be hindered. Increased use of facebook, email, and other virtual means of communication may also be linked to the disorder; it is unclear if this is a symptom or an underlying contributor to the disorder. Over the long term, the disorder may also increase risk in the prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
It is difficult to diagnose the disorder until later symptoms of neurosis, anxiety, and social disorders have developed, at which time the disorder has progressed systemically and symptoms are harder to control with a longer prognosis. DSM, as well as the Kübler-Ross model, unconventionally applied, are used as testing models for this disorder.
The first case diagnosed at the Student Health Center in August of 2011 was seen in a 23 year old female shortly after the first weeks of classes. She presented with high blood pressure, syncope, nausea and vomiting, hyperventilation as well as difficulty remembering general information such as day of the week and month, friends’ names, as well as important dates. Shortly after, more cases appeared, and a remarkable 60% of first year students at the College of Medicine students have been diagnosed, with speculation of another 15 – 20% of students with the disorder who have been undiagnosed.
In second year students, similar statistics were found, with 85% of students showing symptoms of the disorder.
Administrators and faculty are attempting to address the situation at hand by increasing mandatory class times to increase peer interaction and by integrating classes that appeal to the humanitarian side of the student; however, the effects of these efforts are still being evaluated.
It is unclear if this disorder is due to high stress demands of academia, or if there exists other underlying environmental triggers such as an intoxicated water supply at the isolated medical school campus or altered quality of air supply to lecture rooms on campus. The disorder does not appear to be genetic.
Interestingly, the prevalence of the disorder was significantly less, with a 15% decrease in prevalence, among students who did not attend lectures regularly.
Individuals affected with this disorder are more likely to abuse substances, including caffeine, energy drinks, use of prescription medicines, as well as other stimulants and depressants.
It is too soon to determine if this disorder has increased prevalence across the nation or if it has been localized to the area.
