Felt Need for Psychiatry Clubs in Medical Colleges to Enhance Teaching-Learning

Authors

Aditya Rao, JSS Medical College and HospitalFollow
Sheryl Agarwal, JSS Medical College and HospitalFollow
Sharanya Bose, JSS Medical CollegeFollow
M Kishor, JSS Academy of Higher Education and ResearchFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6153-9225

Corresponding Author

Sharanya Bose

sharanyabose1509@gmail.com

Abstract

Mental health competence is critical for medical graduates, yet in India the treatment gap for common mental disorders remains substantial, with prevalence estimates indicating up to 80.4% of unmet need. Recent reforms under the Competency-based Medical Education (CBME) curriculum have expanded psychiatry training; however, deficiencies in applied skills, preventive psychiatry, and communication remain. Psychiatry clubs have been proposed as supplementary, student-led platforms to address these limitations. This cross-sectional study assessed the perceived need for psychiatry clubs among undergraduate medical students and explored their potential role in enhancing teaching–learning. A structured online survey was administered to 94 students across different phases of MBBS training. A total of 93.6% of respondents supported establishing psychiatry clubs. Findings suggest that psychiatry clubs can complement formal psychiatry education by fostering experiential learning, reducing stigma, and strengthening peer support. To our knowledge, this is the first study from India systematically documenting the felt need for psychiatry clubs in medical colleges.

Publication Date

2025

Publisher

JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Keywords

Mental Health, Psychiatry, Psychiatry Clubs, CBME, Medical College

Word Count

1823

Recommended Citation

Rao A, Agarwal S, Bose S, Kishor M. Felt Need for Psychiatry Clubs in Medical Colleges to Enhance Teaching-Learning. Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2025; 7(3): -. doi: https://doi.org/10.55691/2582-3868.1268

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Cover Page Footnote

Aditya Rao, Final-year MBBS student, JSSAHER, India. Corresponding Author: sharanyabose1509@gmail.com Conflict of Interest: None declared. Funding: None.