research topics for medical and psychiatry students

77 interesting medical research topics for 2024

Last updated

25 November 2023

Reviewed by

Brittany Ferri, PhD, OTR/L

Medical research is the gateway to improved patient care and expanding our available treatment options. However, finding a relevant and compelling research topic can be challenging.

Use this article as a jumping-off point to select an interesting medical research topic for your next paper or clinical study.

• How to choose a medical research topic

When choosing a research topic , it’s essential to consider a couple of things. What topics interest you? What unanswered questions do you want to address? 

During the decision-making and brainstorming process, here are a few helpful tips to help you pick the right medical research topic:

Focus on a particular field of study

The best medical research is specific to a particular area. Generalized studies are often too broad to produce meaningful results, so we advise picking a specific niche early in the process. 

Maybe a certain topic interests you, or your industry knowledge reveals areas of need.

Look into commonly researched topics

Once you’ve chosen your research field, do some preliminary research. What have other academics done in their papers and projects? 

From this list, you can focus on specific topics that interest you without accidentally creating a copycat project. This groundwork will also help you uncover any literature gaps—those may be beneficial areas for research.

Get curious and ask questions

Now you can get curious. Ask questions that start with why, how, or what. These questions are the starting point of your project design and will act as your guiding light throughout the process. 

For example: 

What impact does pollution have on children’s lung function in inner-city neighborhoods? 

Why is pollution-based asthma on the rise? 

How can we address pollution-induced asthma in young children? 

• 77 medical research topics worth exploring in 2023

Need some research inspiration for your upcoming paper or clinical study? We’ve compiled a list of 77 topical and in-demand medical research ideas. Let’s take a look. 

• Exciting new medical research topics

If you want to study cutting-edge topics, here are some exciting options:

COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms

Since 2020, COVID-19 has been a hot-button topic in medicine, along with the long-term symptoms in those with a history of COVID-19. 

Examples of COVID-19-related research topics worth exploring include:

The long-term impact of COVID-19 on cardiac and respiratory health

COVID-19 vaccination rates

The evolution of COVID-19 symptoms over time

New variants and strains of the COVID-19 virus

Changes in social behavior and public health regulations amid COVID-19

Vaccinations

Finding ways to cure or reduce the disease burden of chronic infectious diseases is a crucial research area. Vaccination is a powerful option and a great topic to research. 

Examples of vaccination-related research topics include:

mRNA vaccines for viral infections

Biomaterial vaccination capabilities

Vaccination rates based on location, ethnicity, or age

Public opinion about vaccination safety 

Artificial tissues fabrication

With the need for donor organs increasing, finding ways to fabricate artificial bioactive tissues (and possibly organs) is a popular research area. 

Examples of artificial tissue-related research topics you can study include:

The viability of artificially printed tissues

Tissue substrate and building block material studies

The ethics and efficacy of artificial tissue creation

• Medical research topics for medical students

For many medical students, research is a big driver for entering healthcare. If you’re a medical student looking for a research topic, here are some great ideas to work from:

Sleep disorders

Poor sleep quality is a growing problem, and it can significantly impact a person’s overall health. 

Examples of sleep disorder-related research topics include:

How stress affects sleep quality

The prevalence and impact of insomnia on patients with mental health conditions

Possible triggers for sleep disorder development

The impact of poor sleep quality on psychological and physical health

How melatonin supplements impact sleep quality

Alzheimer’s and dementia 

Cognitive conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are on the rise worldwide. They currently have no cure. As a result, research about these topics is in high demand. 

Examples of dementia-related research topics you could explore include:

The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in a chosen population

Early onset symptoms of dementia

Possible triggers or causes of cognitive decline with age

Treatment options for dementia-like conditions

The mental and physical burden of caregiving for patients with dementia

• Lifestyle habits and public health

Modern lifestyles have profoundly impacted the average person’s daily habits, and plenty of interesting topics explore its effects. 

Examples of lifestyle and public health-related research topics include:

The nutritional intake of college students

The impact of chronic work stress on overall health

The rise of upper back and neck pain from laptop use

Prevalence and cause of repetitive strain injuries (RSI)

• Controversial medical research paper topics

Medical research is a hotbed of controversial topics, content, and areas of study. 

If you want to explore a more niche (and attention-grabbing) concept, here are some controversial medical research topics worth looking into:

The benefits and risks of medical cannabis

Depending on where you live, the legalization and use of cannabis for medical conditions is controversial for the general public and healthcare providers.

Examples of medical cannabis-related research topics that might grab your attention include:

The legalization process of medical cannabis

The impact of cannabis use on developmental milestones in youth users

Cannabis and mental health diagnoses

CBD’s impact on chronic pain

Prevalence of cannabis use in young people

The impact of maternal cannabis use on fetal development 

Understanding how THC impacts cognitive function

Human genetics

The Human Genome Project identified, mapped, and sequenced all human DNA genes. Its completion in 2003 opened up a world of exciting and controversial studies in human genetics.

Examples of human genetics-related research topics worth delving into include:

Medical genetics and the incidence of genetic-based health disorders

Behavioral genetics differences between identical twins

Genetic risk factors for neurodegenerative disorders

Machine learning technologies for genetic research

Sexual health studies

Human sexuality and sexual health are important (yet often stigmatized) medical topics that need new research and analysis.

As a diverse field ranging from sexual orientation studies to sexual pathophysiology, examples of sexual health-related research topics include:

The incidence of sexually transmitted infections within a chosen population

Mental health conditions within the LGBTQIA+ community

The impact of untreated sexually transmitted infections

Access to safe sex resources (condoms, dental dams, etc.) in rural areas

• Health and wellness research topics

Human wellness and health are trendy topics in modern medicine as more people are interested in finding natural ways to live healthier lifestyles. 

If this field of study interests you, here are some big topics in the wellness space:

Gluten sensitivity

Gluten allergies and intolerances have risen over the past few decades. If you’re interested in exploring this topic, your options range in severity from mild gastrointestinal symptoms to full-blown anaphylaxis. 

Some examples of gluten sensitivity-related research topics include:

The pathophysiology and incidence of Celiac disease

Early onset symptoms of gluten intolerance

The prevalence of gluten allergies within a set population

Gluten allergies and the incidence of other gastrointestinal health conditions

Pollution and lung health

Living in large urban cities means regular exposure to high levels of pollutants. 

As more people become interested in protecting their lung health, examples of impactful lung health and pollution-related research topics include:

The extent of pollution in densely packed urban areas

The prevalence of pollution-based asthma in a set population

Lung capacity and function in young people

The benefits and risks of steroid therapy for asthma

Pollution risks based on geographical location

Plant-based diets

Plant-based diets like vegan and paleo diets are emerging trends in healthcare due to their limited supporting research. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the potential benefits or risks of holistic, diet-based medicine, examples of plant-based diet research topics to explore include:

Vegan and plant-based diets as part of disease management

Potential risks and benefits of specific plant-based diets

Plant-based diets and their impact on body mass index

The effect of diet and lifestyle on chronic disease management

Health supplements

Supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry. Many health-conscious people take supplements, including vitamins, minerals, herbal medicine, and more. 

Examples of health supplement-related research topics worth investigating include:

Omega-3 fish oil safety and efficacy for cardiac patients

The benefits and risks of regular vitamin D supplementation

Health supplementation regulation and product quality

The impact of social influencer marketing on consumer supplement practices

Analyzing added ingredients in protein powders

• Healthcare research topics

Working within the healthcare industry means you have insider knowledge and opportunity. Maybe you’d like to research the overall system, administration, and inherent biases that disrupt access to quality care. 

While these topics are essential to explore, it is important to note that these studies usually require approval and oversight from an Institutional Review Board (IRB). This ensures the study is ethical and does not harm any subjects. 

For this reason, the IRB sets protocols that require additional planning, so consider this when mapping out your study’s timeline. 

Here are some examples of trending healthcare research areas worth pursuing:

The pros and cons of electronic health records

The rise of electronic healthcare charting and records has forever changed how medical professionals and patients interact with their health data. 

Examples of electronic health record-related research topics include:

The number of medication errors reported during a software switch

Nurse sentiment analysis of electronic charting practices

Ethical and legal studies into encrypting and storing personal health data

Inequities within healthcare access

Many barriers inhibit people from accessing the quality medical care they need. These issues result in health disparities and injustices. 

Examples of research topics about health inequities include:

The impact of social determinants of health in a set population

Early and late-stage cancer stage diagnosis in urban vs. rural populations

Affordability of life-saving medications

Health insurance limitations and their impact on overall health

Diagnostic and treatment rates across ethnicities

People who belong to an ethnic minority are more likely to experience barriers and restrictions when trying to receive quality medical care. This is due to systemic healthcare racism and bias. 

As a result, diagnostic and treatment rates in minority populations are a hot-button field of research. Examples of ethnicity-based research topics include:

Cancer biopsy rates in BIPOC women

The prevalence of diabetes in Indigenous communities

Access inequalities in women’s health preventative screenings

The prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension in Black populations

• Pharmaceutical research topics

Large pharmaceutical companies are incredibly interested in investing in research to learn more about potential cures and treatments for diseases. 

If you’re interested in building a career in pharmaceutical research, here are a few examples of in-demand research topics:

Cancer treatment options

Clinical research is in high demand as pharmaceutical companies explore novel cancer treatment options outside of chemotherapy and radiation. 

Examples of cancer treatment-related research topics include:

Stem cell therapy for cancer

Oncogenic gene dysregulation and its impact on disease

Cancer-causing viral agents and their risks

Treatment efficacy based on early vs. late-stage cancer diagnosis

Cancer vaccines and targeted therapies

Immunotherapy for cancer

Pain medication alternatives

Historically, opioid medications were the primary treatment for short- and long-term pain. But, with the opioid epidemic getting worse, the need for alternative pain medications has never been more urgent. 

Examples of pain medication-related research topics include:

Opioid withdrawal symptoms and risks

Early signs of pain medication misuse

Anti-inflammatory medications for pain control

• Identify trends in your medical research with Dovetail

Are you interested in contributing life-changing research? Today’s medical research is part of the future of clinical patient care. 

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• Published: 23 March 2022

Student wellness trends and interventions in medical education: a narrative review

• Harrison J. Klein 1 &
• Sarah M. McCarthy 1  

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume  9 , Article number:  92 ( 2022 ) Cite this article

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• Science, technology and society

Medical education is a time wrought with personal and professional stressors, posing serious challenges to maintaining student wellness. Extensive research has thus been conducted to identify these stressors and develop practical solutions to alleviate their harmful effects. This narrative review of quantitative and qualitative literature summarizes trends in student wellness and examines interventions deployed by medical schools to ameliorate student distress. Current trends indicate that mental illness, substance use, and burnout are more prevalent in medical students compared to the general population due to excessive academic, personal, and societal stressors. Pass/fail grading systems and longitudinal, collaborative learning approaches with peer support appear to be protective for student wellness. Additionally, maintaining enjoyable hobbies, cultivating social support networks, and developing resiliency decrease distress in medical students on an individual level. Faculty and administrator development is also a necessary component to ensuring student wellness. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unique challenges to the medical education system and has stimulated unprecedented innovation in educational technology and adaptability. Particularly, the discontinuation of the clinical skill evaluation components for both osteopathic and allopathic students should be a focus of medical student wellness research in the future.

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Defining student wellness

Defining student wellness has challenged stakeholders throughout the medical education system. The term “wellness” first appeared in literature following World War II, though the concept extends back to Christian ethics of the 19th century that linked physical well-being to moral character (Kirkland, 2014 ). Implicit within these origins of wellness is a responsibility of the individual to contribute to their own well-being. This is reflected in Kirkland’s premise that “each individual can and should strive to achieve a state of optimal functioning” ( 2014 ). Contemporary researchers characterize wellness similarly to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition of human health. In the preamble to the WHO’s constitution, health is defined as a “state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease” (Grad, 2002 ). Wellness can therefore be succinctly defined as self-aware, intentional prevention of distress and promotion of well-being (Kirkland, 2014 ).

Human wellness’s inherent multidimensionality often poses a challenge to quantitative research methods. Most studies thus ultimately measure some combination of indicators for distress and well-being. Addiction, mental disorders, suicidal ideation, and burnout are common indicators of distress assessed through various screening methods (Jackson et al., 2016 ; Moir et al., 2018 ; Dyrbye and Shanafelt, 2016 ). On the contrary, Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index Composite Score examines well-being across several domains of life, including: life evaluation, emotional health, physical health, healthy behavior, work environment, and basic access. The Well-Being Composite Score thus emphasizes the presence of health rather than absence of disease (Kirkland, 2014 ). Though methodologies and definitions vary across studies and reviews, the fundamental characteristics of wellness appear constant: absence of disease and presence of health. Investigations using this paradigm have identified professional education, particularly medical education, as a time of increased distress and diminished wellness (Dyrbye et al., 2014 ). We have thus undertaken a review of contemporary literature to identify trends in student wellness, as well as the interventions deployed to address such trends. This narrative review outlines the prevalence and contributing factors to mental illness, addiction, and burnout in the medical student population. We then describe several intervention strategies used by medical schools to address student wellness deficits, including: wellness committees, pass-fail (P/F) grading, mindfulness training, curricular alterations, and developing more wellness-aware faculty/administration. In compiling this review, we hope to provide a snapshot of contemporary student wellness that may be used to guide medical schools seeking to improve the student experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath.

Mental well-being

As previously mentioned, directly measuring wellness is a challenge in educational research. Therefore, most studies assess wellness of student populations by examining rates of mental illness or distress (Kirkland, 2014 ). Numerous studies have revealed that mental health issues are virtually ubiquitous in the medical education system. Dyrbye and colleagues report that medical school appears to be a peak time for distress in a physician’s training ( 2014 ). Localization of distress to the training process is evidenced by higher rates of depression, fatigue, and suicidal ideation in medical students as compared to age-matched controls from the general population, with these symptoms declining to the same levels as control populations within 5 years after completing post-graduate education (Dyrbye et al., 2014 ). Further, Jackson et al determined that a majority of medical students exhibited either burnout, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, alcohol abuse/dependence, or a combination of these factors at the time of survey ( 2016 ). A meta-analysis conducted by Rosenstein and colleagues revealed that 27% of medical students met criteria specifically for depression or depressive symptoms ( 2016 ). This increased prevalence of mental illness is not restricted to medical education. A survey of law students revealed that 17% screened positively for depression, 37% screened positively for anxiety, and 27% screened positively for an eating disorder. These statistics indicate increasing trends of mental illness across graduate education as a whole, rather than medical education alone (Organ et al., 2016 ).

This prolific mental distress can substantially impact medical students’ ability to meet academic demands (Dyrbye et al., 2014 ). As such, substantial research has been conducted investigating factors that contribute to mental illness in an academic setting. Surprisingly, students begin medical school with mental health better than similarly aged peers. However, these roles quickly reverse, with medical student mental health ultimately becoming worse than control populations (Dyrbye and Shanafelt, 2016 ). It seems that medical education may actually select for individuals prone to developing psychological distress (Bergmann et al., 2019 ). Moir et al. report that the majority of medical students are considered Type A individuals, displaying high levels of ambition and competition. Though these qualities facilitate academic success, they also lead to hostility and frustration with challenging situations (Moir et al., 2018 ). Medical students were also found to have high levels of conscientiousness (Moir et al., 2018 ). Conscientiousness is a component of the Big 5 Personality model, which uses the qualities of neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness as the most basic descriptors of an individual’s personality (Shi et al., 2018 ). Conscientiousness is characterized by diligence and careful attention to detail, thus predicting high levels of academic success. However, increased conscientiousness may also exacerbate the likelihood of mental and physical distress due to inordinate demands placed on one’s self (Bergmann et al., 2019 ). Student age was also found to correlate with mental well-being. Younger students were found to approach their studies with dualistic orientations, seeking an explicit, incontrovertible knowledge of medicine. Diagnostic challenges and knowledge gaps ubiquitous in clinical medicine can thus be frustrating to younger students (Lonka et al., 2008 ). It is worth noting that, despite the importance of addressing mental health issues, some authors feel categorizing symptoms of depression and burnout leads to over-medicalization of human suffering and is not useful (Moir et al., 2018 ).

The aforementioned qualities of medical students facilitate development of both maladaptive perfectionism and imposter syndrome, heightening mental wellness concerns in this population (Bubenius and Harendza, 2019 ; Hu et al., 2019 ; Henning et al., 1998 ; Seeliger and Harendza, 2017 ; Thomas and Bigatti, 2020 ). The prevalence of imposter syndrome has been estimated between 22.5–46.6% in medical students, however, the prevalence of perfectionism has proven much more difficult to measure (Thomas and Bigatti, 2020 ). Maladaptive perfectionism is a multifactorial entity encompassing inordinate self-expectations, negative reactions to failure, and a persistent lack of satisfaction in performance (Bubenius and Harendza, 2019 ; Thomas and Bigatti, 2020 ). This emphasis on perfection prevents students from appreciating their vulnerability and thus delays self-recognition of mental distress (Seeliger and Harendza, 2017 ). Not surprisingly, maladaptive perfectionism has thus demonstrated an association with anxiety, depression, bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and chronic fatigue syndrome (Thomas and Bigatti, 2020 ). The strength of these associations was further demonstrated by Bubenius and Harendza’s use of maladaptive perfectionism as a predictor of depressive symptoms in German medical school applicants ( 2019 ). Imposter syndrome is a phenomenon often associated with maladaptive perfectionism and is characterized by anxiety, lack of self-confidence, depression, and frustration with one’s performance (Clance and Imes, 1978 ). While imposter syndrome bears an uncanny resemblance to perfectionism, the difference lies in imposter syndrome’s characteristic fear of being discovered as undeserving of a place in medical school, regardless of actual accomplishments (Clance and Imes, 1978 ). Imposter syndrome has been associated with a lack of resilience and this, similar to perfectionism, can increase psychological distress (Levant et al., 2020 ). The combined effects of imposter syndrome and maladaptive perfectionism predispose students to mental health issues and thus deserve special attention in studies geared toward well-being interventions. Of note, preliminary work by Chand and colleagues has demonstrated that cognitive behavioral therapy may be especially effective in ameliorating the deleterious effects of maladaptive perfectionism (Chand et al., 2018 ). Treatment for imposter syndrome, however, appears to be a significant gap in wellness literature (Bravata et al., 2020 ).

Deeply intertwined with imposterism and perfectionism is the medical student’s experience of shame. Shame is characterized as a negative emotional response to life events. These life events can take many forms, though personal mistakes within a hostile environment are a common instigator of shame (Bynum et al., 2019 ). Perfectionism and imposter syndrome thus provide a fertile soil of negative self-evaluation in which shame can flourish (Bynum et al., 2020 ). Feelings of shame are further exacerbated by factors within the medical school environment. Mistreatment by colleagues or preceptors, receiving low test scores, underrepresentation within classes, institutional expectations, and social comparison were reported as contributors to shame by medical students in a hermeneutic analysis (Bynum et al., 2021 ). Regardless of origin, shame has been recognized as a “destabilizing emotion,” leading to student isolation, psychological distress, and difficulty with identity formation (Bynum et al., 2021 ). Explorations of shame as a contributor to medical student distress are limited in the current literature. Thus, wellness researchers must dedicate studies to characterizing and preventing this significant, but potentially modifiable, contributor to student distress (Bynum et al., 2019 ).

Medical students’ educational environment can also have a profound impact on mental health, particularly during the early days of training. The transition between college and professional school is marked by anxiety, stress, and financial upheaval. Thus, students may feel more vulnerable than ever as they begin their professional education in a new environment in which they are unaware of available mental health resources, leading to isolation and unnecessary suffering (Organ et al., 2016 ). Even for those aware of these resources, significant stigma still surrounds mental illness in professional education. This is emphasized in Organ et al’s finding that only 50% of law students with mental health issues actually receive professional counseling. Their findings suggest that this reluctance largely stems from fear of professional repercussions if administrators discover a student’s mental health diagnosis (Organ et al., 2016 ). While this study was conducted in law students, Hankir et al found similar trends in both medical students and physicians by examining autobiographical narratives published to combat the stigma against help-seeking behavior (Hankir et al., 2014 ). Hankir and colleagues have elucidated several phenomena that contribute to medical students delaying or even avoiding treatment for mental distress. Self-stigma operates as a powerful deterrent to help-seeking and seems to stem from internalization of society’s expectation that medical students are mentally and physically invincible. This leads to feelings of decreased self-esteem and self-efficacy, as well as fear of stigmatization from the general public (Hankir et al., 2014 ; Fischbein and Bonfine, 2019 ). Rahael Gupta, now a psychiatry resident, brought this stigma to public light as she shared her personal experience with depression during medical school in her short film project entitled “Physicians Connected.” The film, conveyed line-by-line through Gupta’s colleagues at the University of Michigan, highlights the unspoken rule that mental distress is a black mark on a future physician’s career (Gupta, 2018 ). Gupta’s efforts, and those similar, underscore a growing call for public discourse, rather than concealment, of mental well-being within the medical profession. This call is echoed with Robyn Symon’s film “Do No Harm: Exposing the Hippocratic Hoax,” which further explores the toxic culture of medical education that drives physicians and medical students to commit suicide. Both Gupta and Symon highlight the taboo of mental distress within the medical field, which instead prioritizes efficiency and academic success over student and physician well-being. Both films characterize this lack of help-seeking behavior as products of the healthcare system’s toxic structure, rather than individual student distress interacting with a demanding work life (Gupta, 2018 ; Symon 2020 ).

Substance use

In addition to impaired academic performance, mental illness also increases risk for development of substance use disorder in medical students (McLellan, 2017 ). Thus, the pervasiveness of mental illness during medical education warrants careful analysis of substance use patterns in the student population. Alcohol abuse or dependence has already been well documented in the professional education system (Dyrbye and Shanafelt, 2016 ; Organ et al., 2016 ; Jackson et al., 2016 ). Alarmingly, despite 43% of law students reporting a recent occurrence of binge drinking, only 4% had sought professional assistance for alcohol or drug misuse. This trend again highlights significant mental health and addiction stigma throughout the graduate education system (Organ et al., 2016 ). Medical students, and all those in the medical field, may be uniquely affected by this prevalence of substance use. For example, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention produced a documentary entitled “Struggling in Silence: Physician Depression and Suicide,” which highlights the powerful role that substance use plays in medical student and physician suicide specifically. With a greater knowledge of and access to potentially lethal substances, those in the medical field are at heightened risk for suicide completion, especially with the inhibition-lowering effects of some drugs (AFSP, 2002 ).

Alcohol dependence is of particular concern in medical education due to implications in hindering student career progression and compromised patient safety. Despite this concern, alcohol use is prevalent among medical students. A survey of 855 medical students across 49 schools in the United States revealed that 33.8% of students reported consuming 5 or more drinks in one sitting within the past two weeks, meeting the criteria for binge drinking (Ayala et al., 2017 ). Further, survey responses from 4402 medical students in the U.S. demonstrated that 32.4% met criteria for alcohol abuse/dependence, compared to 15.6% in a control sample of similarly aged but non-medical student counterparts (Jackson et al., 2016 ). The substantial academic stress of a professional education is a clear driving force behind this trend, though several compounding risk factors have been identified. Young males were identified as at an increased risk for alcohol dependence compared to their female colleagues (Jackson et al., 2016 ; Organ et al., 2016 ). Jackson and colleagues further identified that students who were unmarried, diagnosed with a mood disorder, low-income, or burdened with educational debt from professional and undergraduate studies were at increased risk for alcohol dependence ( 2016 ). While ethnicity’s relationship to alcohol use was not explored in medical students, a survey of over 11,000 law students from 15 law schools in 2016 determined that ethnic minorities were more likely to report an increase in drinking whereas Caucasian students were more likely to demonstrate a positive CAGE screening (Organ et al., 2016 ). The CAGE screen is a 4-item questionnaire developed by John Ewing in 1984 to identify drinking problems. The CAGE screen has a 93% sensitivity and 76% specificity for identifying problem drinking whereas alcoholism identification has a sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 77% (Williams, 2014 ). This increased alcohol use in both Caucasian and ethnic minority students demonstrates a need for culturally tailored and inclusive prevention programs.

Though alcohol is the most commonly abused drug amongst medical students, illicit drug use has also been reported at concerning levels. A survey of 36 United States medical schools revealed that approximately one-third of students had used illicit drugs within the past 12 months (Shah et al., 2009 ). Papazisis and colleagues similarly examined illicit drug use in undergraduate medical students in Greece, finding a lifetime substance use rate of ~25% ( 2017 ). Marijuana was the most common illicit drug used in both studies (Shah et al., 2009 ; Papazisis et al., 2017 ). Use of prescription medications without a prescription was also found amongst law students, particularly stimulants such as Ritalin, Adderall, and Concerta (Organ et al., 2016 ). These findings suggest that the competitive culture of graduate education may drive students to engage in recreational drug use, particularly those struggling to meet academic demands or suffering from mental distress.

Student burnout

Burnout was canonically defined by Freudenberger in 1974 as a state of physical and mental exhaustion caused by or related to work activities, often manifesting when heightened professional stress conflicts with personal ideals or expectations (Freudenberger, 1974 ; Rodrigues et al., 2018 ; Baro Vila et al., 2022 ). Though originally a descriptive disorder, burnout is now recognized in the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, under code Z73.0 (Lacy and Chan, 2018 ). Burnout is traditionally diagnosed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory, a 22-item questionnaire that characterizes each of the three burnout domains: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment (Dyrbye and Shanafelt, 2016 ). Emotional exhaustion is associated with feelings of being overworked and a subsequent loss of compassion. Depersonalization is characterized by a sense of detachment from colleagues/patients and, when combined with emotional exhaustion, can result in unprofessional behavior. The personal accomplishment domain mainly describes an individual’s feelings of competence and professional satisfaction (Lacy and Chan, 2018 ). In addition to each domain’s unique consequences, burnout domains interact to cause an extinction of motivation when efforts no longer produce desired results (Vidhukumar and Hamza, 2020 ). Approximately 50% of fourth year medical students were found to have burnout when surveyed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Dyrbye and Shanafelt, 2016 ). This value holds true internationally according to a survey of medical students conducted in India (Vidhukumar and Hamza, 2020 ). Additionally, burnout increases as training progresses, particularly the depersonalization component (Dyrbye and Shanafelt, 2016 ). Burnout thus increases feelings of callousness towards patients, leading to unprofessional and potentially dangerous conduct. Burnout in medical school also appears to affect specialty choice; burned out individuals were more likely to choose specialties with more controllable lifestyles and higher pay (Dyrbye and Shanafelt, 2016 ). Investigating causes of burnout is thus of utmost importance to understand potential influences on medical student career trajectory and ensuring patient safety.

Identified causes of burnout appear to differ between the years of medical training. Preclinical years are characterized by dissatisfaction with the learning environment and lack of faculty support. Clinical years are characterized by dissatisfaction with the learning environment, clerkship disorganization, and working with cynical or abusive residents and/or attending physicians (Dyrbye and Shanafelt, 2016 ). Reed and colleagues found a positive correlation between the time spent in exams and burnout whereas a negative correlation was observed with increased patient interaction ( 2011 ). Several correlates of burnout outside of medical schools’ learning environments and curricula have also been described, including: female gender, dissatisfaction with career options, non-ethnic minority status, high educational debt, residency competition, expanding knowledge-base, workforce shortage, and stressful events in one’s personal life (Dyrbyre and Shanafelt, 2016 ; Vidhukumar and Hamza, 2020 ). Erosion of social ties during medical education also contributes to the burnout spiral, as socialization is protective against burnout symptoms (Bergmann et al., 2019 ; Busireddy et al., 2017 ). No associations between contact days, time in didactic learning or clinical experiences, and any measure of student well-being and burnout prevalence were found (Reed et al., 2011 ).

Interventions to improve well-being

Medical schools have implemented several interventions to reduce student distress and enhance wellness. Though interventional approaches are varied, researchers have identified salient features common to most successful wellness interventions. For example, Dyrbye and colleagues underline the importance of well-being committees that can liaise between administration, faculty, and students, lessening fear of admonishment for seeking help or acknowledging distress ( 2019 ). Additionally, Moir et al reports that student buy-in is absolutely essential, as disengaged wellness lectures offer little, if any, benefit ( 2016 ). Interventions appear most effective when they are designed to reduce student burdens, rather than adding to the already overwhelming schedule and content of medical school (Busireddy et al., 2017 ). Finally, administrations often pose an obstacle to wellness initiatives, especially those who believe that well-being is of minor importance. This obstacle is reflected by the low prevalence of medical schools with official wellness competencies built into the curriculum (Dyrbye et al., 2019 ). We will now explore some of the specific interventions medical schools have employed to improve student wellness.

Transitioning to a Pass/Fail (P/F) grading scheme is a wellness initiative that has received substantial attention in the United States, especially in light of findings that grade evaluation systems are a larger determinant of student well-being compared to content of educational contact hours (Reed et al., 2011 ; Spring et al., 2011 ). The Mayo Medical School examined the feasibility and effects of P/F grading by introducing the system to first-year medical students in 2006. Rohe and colleagues found that these first-year medical students reported less stress, better overall mood, and greater group cohesion compared to their graded peers. These characteristics persisted into the second year of medical school, even when grading reverted to a traditional 5-level schema (Rohe et al., 2006 ). While critics of P/F grading argue that students will be less motivated to excel academically, evidence suggests that first-year residents from P/F schools performed similarly to residents from graded schools (Rohe et al., 2006 ). Additionally, a P/F system reduces extrinsic motivation and intense competition while increasing cohesion and peer cooperation (Moir et al., 2018 ; Rohe et al., 2006 ). These qualities are essential in the increasingly team-based healthcare landscape. Though transitioning to a P/F system reduced medical student distress during the preclinical years, it is important to note that the transition did not decrease test anxiety for the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1 (Williams et al., 2015 ; Rohe et al., 2006 ). Determining test anxiety for USMLE Step 1 will be an active area of research in the face of a new P/F grading for the licensure exam.

Allopathic and osteopathic medical programs are infamous for their academic rigors and intense curricular designs. These curricula are often described as competitive, leisure and socialization-deficient, and requiring exclusive dedication. These characteristics predispose medical students to decreased quality of life (Bergmann et al., 2019 ). As such, altering the curricula of these programs has been investigated as a means to prevent, rather than react to, student distress through a person-in-context perspective (Dyrbye et al., 2005 ; Slavin et al., 2012 ; Slavin et al., 2014 ). It has long been documented that the undergraduate medical curriculum is overflowing with information (D’Eon and Crawford, 2005 ). Rather than identifying salient features for inclusion in courses, medical school faculty often address this surplus of information by cramming unrealistic amounts of information into lectures (D’Eon and Crawford, 2005 ; Dyrbye et al., 2005 ). As mentioned earlier, wellness initiatives are often more effective when they reduce student burdens, rather than adding additional requirements (Busireddy et al., 2017 ). Though this may lead one to believe that shortening curricular hours is an intuitive wellness initiative, this measure only led to workload compression and feelings of being unprepared for clinical practice when used as a unifocal intervention (Dyrbye and Shanafelt 2016 ; Busireddy et al., 2017 ; Dyrbye et al., 2019 ). This continually expanding mass of information thus poses two challenges to wellness initiatives. First, medical students’ schedules are often too consumed by curricular hours to engage in additional wellness programming, especially without an external motivator. Second, the amount of information itself imposes feelings of distress on students, exacerbating the already-stressful nature of medical school and predisposition to mental health issues. Beyond the quantity of curricular hours, delivery and content of those hours is also important to student wellness. Lonka and colleagues found that a collaborative approach to learning increased satisfaction and decreased the perceived workload ( 2008 ). The collaborative environment of problem-based learning may thus offer some improvement to curriculum-induced stress, though current evidence is weak (Camp et al., 1994 ). Incorporating self-care workshops into the curriculum also appears to ameliorate the depersonalization component of burnout (Busireddy et al., 2017 ). In light of these promising results, it follows that the most powerful approach to improving student wellness through curricular restructuring is a multifactorial one. This multifactorial approach is best appreciated in the wellness initiatives within the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and the Saint Louis University School of Medicine (Drolet and Rodgers, 2010 ; Slavin et al., 2014 ).

The Vanderbilt wellness initiative is composed of three arms: the Advisory College System, the Student Wellness Committee, and Vanderbilt Medical Student LIVE. The Advisory College is composed of both students and faculty that offer personalized advising and mentorship to students within the school. The Student Wellness Committee emphasizes student-led wellness initiatives and serves as an interface with faculty. Lastly, Vanderbilt Medical Student LIVE is an adjunct curriculum that fosters self-care and personal growth amongst the physicians in training (Drolet and Rodgers, 2010 ). The wellness program at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine is structured differently, though shares similar goals. The program entitled Mental Health 3.0 radically, but feasibly and efficiently, altered the structure of the School’s curriculum. Grading was converted to a P/F basis, with only the median exam score and 75 th percentile reported to students. Student contact hours were reduced by 10% during the preclinical curriculum and faculty were advised on how to appropriately identify topics for inclusion in their lectures. Longitudinal electives were instituted following contact hour reduction to encourage student growth and interest identification while forming relationships with fellow students and faculty. These electives were complemented by the formation of five learning communities to further enhance student immersion in areas of interest. Lastly, resilience and mindfulness training was incorporated into the mandatory curriculum while offering an increased number of social events (Slavin et al., 2014 ; Slavin, 2019 ). This wellness initiative was continually expanded and improved to include an early entry and exit to third-year clinical rotations, which minimized stress entering fourth year, and a confidential depression/anxiety tracking system to screen students for worrisome mental health issues (Slavin and Chibnall, 2016 ; Slavin, 2019 ). Comparison between these wellness initiatives reveals that whereas Slavin and colleagues have produced significant declines in student depression, anxiety, and stress with increased group cohesion (Slavin et al., 2014 ; Slavin, 2019 ), the impacts of curricular changes at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine have not yet been quantified (Drolet and Rodgers, 2010 ). In addition to minimizing student distress, the Mental Health 3.0 program also increased student flourishing (Slavin and Chibnall, 2016 ). The success of Mental Health 3.0 provides strong evidence that diminished medical student well-being is likely a product of multiple factors within the medical learning environment rather than intrinsic student qualities alone (Slavin, 2019 ).

Mindfulness practices have also become increasingly popular as a wellness intervention. Mindfulness is defined as the non-judgmental awareness of one’s own experience with the goal of increasing concentration, insight, and relaxation. Employing mindfulness techniques has been demonstrated to decrease stress and anxiety, though its effects are not as apparent in reducing burnout symptoms (Williams et al., 2015 ). This lack of effect on burnout symptoms may be due to the focus of mindfulness practices, which is on the individual experience rather than improving the structural entities that cause burnout in the first place (Moir et al., 2018 ). Mindfulness practices implemented through peer-support groups in a United States medical school failed to demonstrate improvement in student anxiety, depression, quality of life, or resiliency. Though this may have been due to insufficient peer training, a non-blinded study design, or limited participation, these results lend further support to the need for structural corrections to the medical education system rather than improvement in students’ attitudes or outlooks (Moir et al., 2018 ). This is in contrast to the results obtained when primary care doctors underwent a 52-hour mindfulness training course. Post-course surveys revealed reduced burnout and improved empathy sustained for 3 months post-intervention (Dyrbye and Shanafelt, 2016 ). Comparison of factors contributing to burnout between medical students and practicing clinicians, as well as determining prerequisites for successful implementation of mindfulness programs, may thus be potential areas for research.

Administration and faculty personnel serve as educators and role models for students. Interventions centered on these individuals can thus facilitate a top-down approach to increasing student wellness. A primary concern for German medical students was a lack of coherent information management by faculty with regard to academic expectations, exacerbating the stress of exams and assignments. Solutions offered by students included recording lectures for later viewing and professors providing explicit learning objectives. These students also reported that attendance policies are often too strict and may impede self-care practices, such as utilizing the school counseling system. Proposed solutions were to loosen attendance requirements via a self-reporting absence system (Dederichs et al., 2020 ). Beyond their academic roles, faculty also often serve as mentors to students. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education requires that schools implement a mentoring system for their students, and these mentors are typically medical school faculty. However, Andre et al proposed a vertical mentoring system that complements faculty involvement with senior students in a program entitled “Mentors in Medicine.” This peer-mentoring system was found to be better suited for day-to-day navigation of medical school, while faculty were better suited to offer more long-term career support (Andre et al., 2017 ). Further integration of mentoring to include financial advisors may reduce distress in students with large amounts of educational debt (Dyrbye et al., 2019 ). Faculty commitment to wellness initiatives facilitates the development of communal concern for student wellness, extending beyond the Office of Student Affairs (Slavin et al., 2014 ). Moving forward, faculty and administration will continue to play pivotal roles in student wellness as the medical education system adapts to the technology and challenges of a post-pandemic landscape.

Though a majority of reviewed literature focused on the preclinical years of medical school, important developments have been made in clinical education as well. Dyrbye and Shanafelt found that a longitudinal rotation curriculum, in which students spend several contiguous months at one training site rather than smaller stints at several training sites, facilitates development of meaningful relationships with preceptors, increasing satisfaction and reducing burnout (Dyrbye and Shanafelt, 2016 ). This is congruent with Slavin and Chibnall’s finding that deploying effective wellness initiatives is made difficult by the changing environment of clinical rotations and lack of control over clinician interactions with students (Slavin and Chibnall, 2016 ). Further work by Slavin and Chibnall indicates that negative experiences (e.g., mistreatment) during clinical years are a product of resident burnout, which itself results from toxic healthcare structures and environments (Slavin and Chibnall, 2016 ). For example, residents often experience sleep deprivation, adjustment difficulties, interpersonal conflict, demanding workloads, and a lack of control over their schedule. Interplay between these factors and resident burnout increases likelihood for development of depression and suicidal ideation (Nene and Tadi, 2021 ). These deleterious resident symptoms may then translate to negative interactions with medical students. Improving the medical student experience can thus be facilitated by ameliorating resident burnout. A potential target for resident burnout interventions is resiliency, which has demonstrated a protective effect against burnout (Sheer et al., 2021 ; Nituica et al., 2021 ; Rodrigues et al., 2018 ). For example, implementation of the Gabbe Health and Wellness program, which was structured around an interprofessional Mindfulness in Motion training, significantly increased resiliency in residents at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (Moffatt-Bruce et al., 2019 ). The Mindfulness in Motion training consists of a weekly group meeting with five sequential segments: prompted reflective writing, video presentation on mind/body connectivity, voluntary sharing of reflective responses, video instruction on yoga and mindfulness practices, and a closing meditation (Klatt et al., 2020 ). Though yielding promising results, these methods remain reactive, similar to most medical student wellness initiatives, and do not address the underlying structural causes of burnout within the healthcare system. While current literature lacks specific explorations of the healthcare system’s tendency toward reactive change, as opposed to proactive, this may be an extension of the field’s prioritization of efficiency and academic success over well-being, as mentioned previously (Gupta, 2018 ; Symon, 2020 ). Addressing the correction of such structures is beyond the scope of this review, but deserves serious attention in wellness research. In addition, further explorations of student and resident wellness may involve elucidating the specific motivations within medical culture that keep wellness a low priority within program structuring.

Based on reviewed literature, the following interventions were demonstrated to improve student well-being: transitioning to a P/F grading system, collaborative learning approaches, longitudinal clinical rotation sites, and peer-mentoring programs. General measures for reducing distress include: maintaining hobbies, socialization, positive outlook, avoiding delayed gratification mindsets, learned resiliency, and choosing medicine based off of one’s own interests. Mental Health 3.0 offers an evidence-based approach for successfully implementing these interventions. Measures that did not demonstrate significant improvement include: peer-led mindfulness groups and shortening curricular hours (Vidhukumar and Hamza, 2020 ; Dyrbye and Shanafelt, 2016 ).

The COVID-19 pandemic caused both immediate and long-term changes to the delivery of medical education. At the onset of the pandemic, medical students were removed from clinical rotations to protect against infection. While this ensured their safety, these students were also deprived of peer-engagement due to asynchronous virtual learning. This shift undoubtedly contributed to increased feelings of isolation and risk for burnout (Klasen et al., 2021 ). Despite numerous challenges, the pandemic has also provided opportunities for medical educators to innovate with new technology. For example, senior students on emergency medicine rotations have served as a source of virtual follow-up for emergency department (ED) visits after reviewing medical records. This has allowed students to continue clinical skill development while ensuring safety from infection and proper supervision. Virtual ED follow-ups reflect a growing trend for web-side encounters to serve as a temporary substitute or supplement for clinical rotations (Klasen et al., 2021 ). These digital learning structures were well-received by students, which predicts the persistence of virtual learning in medical school curricula after the COVID-19 pandemic resolves (Dederichs et al., 2020 ). Despite this apparent positive reception, online learning poses challenges to students’ psychological well-being. The asynchronous nature of virtual education modalities lends to feelings of isolation and a lack of motivation during the preclinical years of medical school (Klasen et al., 2021 ). Combined with the already taxing nature of medical education, the stressors of online learning may ultimately exacerbate existing student wellness concerns. Students featured in “Four Years in Blue: The University of Michigan Medical School Documentary” expressed concern for their future clinical training, specifically with regard to availability of personal protective equipment and physician safety. The students also reported feelings of sadness due to a loss of participation in important class milestones, such as a residency match day celebration (Michigan Medicine, 2020 ). Future alterations to the global medical education system in light of the pandemic will thus be an active area of research for years to come. Most notably, the pandemic appears to have served as an impetus for the National Board of Medical Examiners and National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners to indefinitely suspend the Step 2-Clinical Skills and Level 2-Performance Evaluation requirement for both allopathic and osteopathic students, respectively (AACOM, 2021 ; USMLE, 2021 ). Student response to this change and its potential effect on student performance should be thoroughly evaluated in future research.

Conclusions and future work

Further reports of wellness programs and interventions aimed at reducing student stress, developing coping strategies, and preventing burnout are needed. As demand for physicians increases and medical school curricula continue to expand, the potential for worsening student wellness increases. COVID-19, stress of licensure exam preparation, and the increasing cost of medical school all add to the brewing pot of pervasive mental illness, substance use, and burnout in the medical student population. Our review of contemporary literature suggests that transitioning to a P/F grading system and implementing longitudinal, collaborative learning approaches with peer support offer solutions to deteriorating medical student wellness. Electives should also be incorporated within the curriculum to further enhance student engagement and excitement for learning (Slavin, 2014 ). Academic faculty should be specifically targeted with instruction on how to reduce extraneous information within courses (Slavin et al., 2014 ; Slavin, 2019 ). Students should also be encouraged to maintain enjoyable hobbies, cultivate social support networks, and maintain a positive outlook to develop resiliency and protect their mental health (Vidhukumar and Hamza, 2020 ; Dyrbyre and Shanafelt, 2016 ). Cognitive behavioral therapy and training in cognitive restructuring techniques should be made available to students in order to address feelings of shame, maladaptive perfectionism, and imposter syndrome (Bynum et al., 2020 ; Chand et al., 2018 ; Slavin et al., 2014 ; Slavin, 2019 ). Confidential depression/anxiety tracking systems to screen students for worrisome mental health issues may also aid in identifying at risk students before mental distress becomes fulminant (Slavin, 2019 ). Faculty and administrators must also strive to improve student wellness from a top-down approach, ensuring that students feel safe to express wellness concerns and seek support when necessary. This may be accomplished through faculty training sessions or development of student liaison committees (Dyrbye et al., 2019 ; Andre et al., 2017 ). Programs at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine offer successful templates for implementation of such programming. With the implementation of any intervention, of course, stringent evaluation guidelines must be employed to ensure optimal improvement to student wellness while avoiding unnecessary burdens to students’ overwhelming schedule.

Data availability

Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.

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We thank Ericka Allen, of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, for assistance in proofreading and revisions of this manuscript.

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Klein, H.J., McCarthy, S.M. Student wellness trends and interventions in medical education: a narrative review. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 9 , 92 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01105-8

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300+ Health Related Research Topics For Medical Students(2023)

In the world of academia and healthcare, finding the right health-related research topics is essential. Whether you are a medical student, a college student, or a seasoned researcher, the choice of your research topic greatly impacts the quality and relevance of your work. This blog, health related research topics, is your guide to selecting the perfect subject for your research.

In this post, we will share 5 invaluable tips to help you pick suitable health-related research topics. Additionally, we will outline the crucial elements that every health-related research paper should incorporate.

Furthermore, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of 300+ health-related research topics for medical students in 2023. These include categories like mental health, public health, nutrition, chronic diseases, healthcare policy, and more. We also offer guidance on selecting the right topic to ensure your research is engaging and meaningful.

So, whether you are delving into mental health, investigating environmental factors, or exploring global health concerns, health-related research topics will assist you in making informed and impactful choices for your research journey, even within the hardest medical specialties .

What Is Health Research?

Table of Contents

Health research is like detective work to understand how our bodies work and how to keep them healthy. It’s like asking questions and finding answers about things like sickness, medicine, and how to live better. Scientists and doctors do health research to learn new ways to treat illnesses, like finding better medicines or discovering new ways to prevent diseases.

Health research is a puzzle, where scientists collect information, do experiments, and study many people to find out what makes us healthy or sick. They want to find clues and put them together to help us stay well and live longer. So, health research is like a quest to learn more about our bodies and find ways to make them work their best, keeping us happy and strong.

5 Useful Tips For Choosing Health Related Research Topics

Here are some useful tips for choosing health related research topics: 

Tip 1: Follow Your Interests

When picking a health research topic, it’s a good idea to choose something you’re curious and excited about. If you’re interested in a subject, you’ll enjoy learning more about it, and you’ll be motivated to do your best. So, think about what aspects of health catch your attention and explore those areas for your research.

Tip 2: Consider Relevance

Your research topic should be meaningful and have real-world importance. Think about how your research can contribute to solving health problems or improving people’s well-being. Topics that are relevant and can make a positive impact on health and healthcare are usually more valuable.

Tip 3: Check Available Resources

Before deciding on a research topic, make sure you have access to the necessary resources, like books, articles, or equipment. It’s important that you can find the information and tools you need to conduct your research effectively.

Tip 4: Keep It Manageable

Select a research topic that you can handle within the available time and resources. It’s better to choose a more focused and manageable topic rather than something too broad or complex. This way, you can delve deep into the subject and produce meaningful results.

Tip 5: Seek Guidance

Don’t hesitate to ask for guidance from teachers, professors, or experts in the field. They can help you refine your research topic, provide valuable insights, and suggest improvements. Seeking advice can make your research journey smoother and more successful.

Important Elements That Must Be Present In A Health Related Research Paper

Here are some important elements that must be present in a health related research paper: 

1. Clear Title and Introduction

A good health research paper needs a clear title that tells people what it’s about. The introduction should explain why the research is important and what the paper will discuss. It’s like the map that shows the way.

2. Methods and Data

You should describe how you did your research and the data you collected. This helps others understand how you found your information. It’s like showing your work in math so that others can check it.

3. Results and Conclusions

After doing your research, you need to show what you discovered. Share the results and what they mean. Conclusions tell people what you found out and why it’s important. It’s like the “So what?” part of your paper.

4. Citations and References

When you use other people’s ideas or words, you need to give them credit. Citations and references show where you got your information. It’s like saying, “I learned this from here.”

5. Clear Language and Organization

Make sure your paper is easy to read and well-organized. Use clear and simple language so that everyone can understand. Organize your paper logically, with a beginning, middle, and end, like a good story. This makes your research paper more effective and useful.

In this section, we will discuss 300+ health related research topics for medical students(2023): 

Health Related Research Topics

• How living choices affect health and how long people live.
• Ways to make it easier for people in underserved areas to get medical care.
• The role of DNA in determining susceptibility to different diseases.
• There are differences in health between race and ethnic groups and between socioeconomic groups.
• Checking how well health education programs encourage people to behave in a healthy way.
• The effects that stress has on the body and mind.
• Looking at the pros and cons of different vaccine plans.
• The link between how well you sleep and your general health.
• The use of technology to make health care better.
• How cultural beliefs and habits affect how people seek health care.

Mental Health Related Research Topics

• Identifying the factors contributing to the rise in mental health disorders among adolescents.
• Examining the effectiveness of different therapeutic approaches for treating depression and anxiety.
• How social media can hurt your mental health and self-esteem.
• We are looking into the link between traumatic events in youth and mental health problems later in life.
•  Stigma and racism in mental health care, and how they make people less healthy.
•  Ways to lower the suicide rate among people who are at high risk.
•  Exercise and other forms of physical action can help your mental health.
•  The link between using drugs and having mental health problems.
•  Mental health support for frontline healthcare workers during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
•  Exploring the potential of digital mental health interventions and apps.

Health Related Research Topics For College Students

• The impact of college stress on physical and mental health.
•  Assessing the effectiveness of college mental health services.
•  The role of peer influence on college students’ health behaviors.
•  Nutrition and dietary habits among college students.
•  Substance use and abuse on college campuses.
•  Investigating the prevalence of sleep disorders among college students.
•  Exploring sexual health awareness and behaviors among college students.
•  Evaluating the relationship between academic performance and overall health.
•  The influence of social media on college students’ health perceptions and behaviors.
•  Ideas for getting people on college grounds to be more active and eat better.

Public Health Related Research Topics

• Evaluating the impact of public health campaigns on smoking cessation.
•  The effectiveness of vaccination mandates in preventing disease outbreaks.
•  Looking into the link between the health of the people in cities and the quality of the air.
•  Strategies for addressing the opioid epidemic through public health initiatives.
•  The role of public health surveillance in early disease detection and response.
•  Assessing the impact of food labeling on consumer choices and nutrition.
•  Looking at how well public health measures work to lower the number of overweight and obese kids.
•  The importance of water quality in maintaining public health.
•  This paper examines various strategies aimed at enhancing mother and child health outcomes in emerging nations.
•  Addressing the mental health crisis through public health interventions.

Mental Disorder Research Topics

• The mental health effects of social isolation, with a particular focus on the COVID-19 pandemic.
•  Exploring the relationship between mental health and creative expression.
•  Cultural differences influence the way in which mental health disorders are perceived and treated.
•  The use of mindfulness and meditation techniques in managing mental health.
•  Investigating the mental health challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals.
•  Examining the role of nutrition and dietary habits in mood disorders.
•  The influence of childhood experiences on adult mental health.
•  Innovative approaches to reducing the stigma surrounding mental health.
•  Mental health support for veterans and active-duty military personnel.
•  The relation between sleep disorders and mental health.

Nutrition and Diet-Related Research Topics

• The impact of dietary patterns (e.g., Mediterranean, ketogenic) on health outcomes.
•  Investigating the role of gut microbiota in digestion and overall health.
•  The effects of food labeling and nutritional education on dietary choices.
•  The correlation between chronic disease prevention and nutrition.
•  Assessing the nutritional needs of different age groups (children, adults, elderly).
•  Exploring the benefits and drawbacks of various diet fads (e.g., intermittent fasting, veganism).
•  The role of nutrition in managing obesity and weight-related health issues.
•  Studying nutrition and mental wellness.
•   Impact of food insecure areas on population health and diet.
•  Strategies for promoting healthy eating in schools and workplaces.

Chronic Disease Research Topics

• The contribution of inflammation to the progression and development of chronic diseases.
•  Evaluating the effectiveness of lifestyle modifications in managing chronic conditions.
•  The impact of chronic stress on various health conditions.
•  Investigating disparities in the management and treatment of chronic diseases among different populations.
•  Exploring the genetics of chronic diseases and potential gene therapies.
•  The impact that environmental factors, including pollution, have on the prevalence of chronic diseases.
•  Assessing the long-term health consequences of childhood obesity.
•  Strategies for improving the quality of life for individuals living with chronic diseases.
•  The importance of maintaining a healthy level of physical activity and exercise for both the prevention and treatment of chronic illnesses.
•  Investigating innovative treatments and therapies for chronic diseases, such as gene editing and personalized medicine.

Healthcare Policy and Access Research Topics

• Assessing how the Affordable Care Act affects healthcare access and outcomes.
•  Telehealth’s impact on rural healthcare access.
•  Investigating the cost-effectiveness of various healthcare payment models (e.g., single-payer, private insurance).
•  Assessing healthcare disparities among different racial and socioeconomic groups.
•  The influence of political ideologies on healthcare policy and access.
•  Healthcare professional shortage solutions, including nurses and doctors.
•  The impact of malpractice reform on healthcare quality and access.
•  Examining the role of pharmaceutical pricing and regulation in healthcare access.
•  The use of technology in streamlining healthcare administration and improving access.
•  Exploring the intersection of healthcare policy, ethics, and patient rights.

Environmental Health Research Topics

• The impact of climate change on public health, including increased heat-related illnesses and vector-borne diseases.
•  Studying air pollution’s effects on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
•  Assessing the health consequences of exposure to environmental toxins and pollutants.
•  Exploring the role of green spaces and urban planning in promoting public health.
•  The impact of water quality and sanitation on community health.
•  Strategies for minimizing the health risks linked with natural catastrophes and extreme weather events.
•  Investigating the health implications of food and water security in vulnerable populations.
•  The influence of environmental justice on health disparities.
•  Evaluating the benefits of renewable energy sources in reducing air pollution and promoting health.
•  The role of public policy in addressing environmental health concerns.

Infectious Disease Research Topics

• Tracking the evolution and spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
•  Investigating the effectiveness of vaccination campaigns in preventing outbreaks.
•  Antimicrobial resistance and strategies to combat it.
•  Assessing the role of vector-borne diseases in global health, such as malaria and Zika virus.
•  The impact of travel and globalization on the spread of infectious diseases.
•  Strategies for early detection and containment of emerging infectious diseases.
•  The role of hygiene and sanitation in reducing infectious disease transmission.
•  Investigating the cultural factors that influence infectious disease prevention and treatment.
•  The use of technology in disease surveillance and response.
• Examining the ethical and legal considerations in managing infectious disease outbreaks.

Women’s Health Research Topics

• Exploring the gender-specific health issues faced by women, such as reproductive health and menopause.
• Investigating the impact of hormonal contraception on women’s health.
• Assessing the barriers to accessing quality maternal healthcare in low-income countries.
• The role of gender-based violence in women’s mental and physical health.
• Strategies for promoting women’s sexual health and reproductive rights.
• Exploring the relationship between breast cancer and genetics.
• The influence of body image and societal pressures on women’s mental health.
• Investigating healthcare disparities among different groups of women, including racial and ethnic disparities.
• Strategies for improving access to women’s healthcare services, including family planning and prenatal care.
• The use of telemedicine and technology to address women’s health needs, especially in remote areas.

Children’s Health Research Topics

• The impact of early childhood nutrition on long-term health and development.
• Environmental toxin exposure and child health.
• Assessing the role of parenting styles in children’s mental and emotional well-being.
• Strategies for preventing and managing childhood obesity.
• The influence of media and technology on children’s physical and mental health.
• Exploring the challenges faced by children with chronic illnesses and disabilities.
• The relevance of early child mental wellness and developmental condition intervention.
• Investigating the role of schools in promoting children’s health and well-being.
• Strategies for addressing child healthcare disparities, including access to vaccines and preventive care.
• Adverse childhood experiences and adult health.

Aging and Gerontology Research Topics

• Investigating the factors contributing to healthy aging and longevity.
• Assessing the impact of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease on elderly individuals and their families.
• Strategies for improving elder care services and addressing the aging population’s healthcare needs.
• Exploring the social isolation and mental health challenges faced by the elderly.
• The importance of nutrition and exercise in old age.
• Investigating the impact of age-related chronic diseases, such as arthritis and osteoporosis.
• Assessing the financial and ethical aspects of end-of-life care for the elderly.
• Strategies for promoting intergenerational relationships and support networks.
• The influence of cultural differences on aging and health outcomes.
• Exploring technology and innovation in elder care, including assistive devices and telemedicine.

Health Technology and Innovation Research Topics

• The impact of telemedicine and virtual health platforms on patient care and outcomes.
• Investigating the use of wearable health technology in monitoring and managing chronic conditions.
• Assessing the ethical and privacy considerations of health data collection through technology.
• Investigating medical diagnoses and treatment with AI and ML.
• The role of robotics in healthcare, including surgical procedures and elder care.
• Investigating the use of 3D printing in healthcare, such as prosthetics and medical devices.
• The influence of mobile health apps on patient engagement and self-care.
• Strategies for implementing electronic health records (EHRs) and interoperability.
• The impact of precision medicine and genomics on personalized healthcare.
• Exploring the future of healthcare delivery through telehealth, remote monitoring, and AI-driven diagnostics.

Global Health Research Topics

• Investigating the challenges of global health equity and healthcare access in low- and middle-income countries.
• Assessing the effectiveness of international health organizations in addressing global health crises.
• Resource-limited mother and child health strategies.
• Exploring the impact of infectious diseases in global health, including tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
• The role of clean water and sanitation in improving global health outcomes.
• Investigating the social determinants of health in different global regions.
• Assessing the impact of humanitarian aid and disaster relief efforts on public health.
• Strategies for combating malnutrition and food insecurity in developing countries.
• The influence of climate change on global health, including the spread of vector-borne diseases.
• Exploring innovative approaches to global health, such as community health workers and telemedicine initiatives.
• Exploring the artificial intelligence and machine learning in medical treatment.

Health Disparities and Equity Research Topics

• The impact of socioeconomic status on healthcare access and health outcomes.
• Strategies to decrease racial and ethnic disparities in maternal and child health.
• LGBTQ+ healthcare disparities and interventions for equitable care.
• Health disparities among rural and urban populations in developed and developing countries.
• Cultural competence in healthcare and its role in reducing disparities.
• The intersection of gender, race, and socioeconomic status in health disparities.
• Addressing health disparities in the elderly population.
• The role of discrimination in perpetuating health inequities.
• Strategies to improve healthcare access for individuals with disabilities.
• The impact of COVID-19 on health disparities and lessons learned for future pandemics.

Cancer Research Topics

• Advancements in precision medicine for personalized cancer treatment.
• Immunotherapy breakthroughs in cancer treatment.
• Environmental factors and cancer risk: A comprehensive review.
• The role of genomics in understanding cancer susceptibility.
• Cancer treatment and survivorship, as well as quality of life following cancer therapy.
• The economics of cancer treatment and its impact on patients.
• Cancer prevention and early detection strategies in underserved communities.
• Palliative care and end-of-life decisions in cancer patients.
• Emerging trends in cancer epidemiology and global burden.
• Ethical considerations in cancer clinical trials and research.

Pharmaceutical Research Topics

• Repurposing existing medications in order to address uncommon illnesses.
• The impact of nanotechnology in drug delivery and targeting.
• Pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine: Current status and future prospects.
• Challenges and opportunities in developing vaccines for emerging infectious diseases.
• Quality control and safety in the pharmaceutical manufacturing process.
• Drug pricing and access: A global perspective.
• Green chemistry approaches in sustainable pharmaceutical development.
• The part that artificial intelligence plays in the search for new drugs and their development.
• Biopharmaceuticals and the future of protein-based therapies.
• Regulatory challenges in ensuring drug safety and efficacy.

Epidemiology Research Topics

• Emerging infectious diseases and global preparedness.
• The COVID-19 pandemic will have long-term effect on the health of the general population.
• Social determinants of health and their impact on disease prevalence.
• Environmental epidemiology and the study of health effects of pollution.
• Big data and its role in modern epidemiological research.
• Spatial epidemiology and the study of disease clusters.
• Epidemiological aspects of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and obesity.
• Genetic epidemiology and the study of hereditary diseases.
• Epidemiological methods for studying mental health disorders.
• Epidemiology of zoonotic diseases and their prevention.

Alternative and Complementary Medicine Research Topics

• Efficacy and safety of herbal remedies in complementary medicine.
• Mind-body interventions and their role in managing chronic pain.
• Acupuncture and its potential in the treatment of various conditions.
• Integrating traditional and complementary medicine into mainstream healthcare.
• Yoga and meditation for stress reduction and mental health.
• Biofield therapies and their impact on well-being.
• Ayurvedic medicine and its modern applications in health and wellness.
• Chiropractic care and its use in musculoskeletal health.
• Ethical considerations in the practice and regulation of alternative medicine.
• Integrating traditional Chinese medicine into Western healthcare systems.

Occupational Health and Safety Research Topics

• Occupational hazards in healthcare settings and strategies for prevention.
• The impact of remote work on occupational health and well-being.
• Ergonomics and its role in preventing workplace injuries.
• Occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals and long-term health effects.
• Mental health in the office: Stress, burnout, and interventions.
• Occupational safety in the construction industry: Recent developments.
• Role of technology in enhancing workplace safety.
• Occupational health disparities among different industries and occupations.
• The economics of workplace safety and the cost-benefit analysis.
• Business impacts of OSHA regulations.

Addiction and Substance Abuse Research Topics

• The opioid epidemic: Current status and future strategies.
• Dual diagnosis: Co-occurring mental health disorders and substance abuse.
• Harm reduction approaches in addiction treatment.
• The role of family and social support in addiction recovery.
• Behavioral addictions: Understanding and treating non-substance-related addictions.
• Novel pharmacotherapies for addiction treatment.
• The impact of COVID-19 on substance abuse and addiction.
• Substance abuse prevention programs in schools and communities.
• Stigmatization of addiction and its impact on treatment-seeking behavior.
• Substance abuse in the elderly population: Unique challenges and solutions.

Biomedical Research Topics

• Recent advancements in gene editing technologies (e.g., CRISPR-Cas9).
• Regenerative medicine and tissue engineering for organ replacement.
• Bioinformatics and its role in analyzing large-scale biological data.
• Stem cell research and its important applications in regenerative medicine.
• Biomarker discovery for early disease detection and monitoring.
• Precision medicine and its potential to transform healthcare.
• The microbiome and its impacts on human health and disease.
• Aging-related research and interventions for healthy aging.
• Neurodegenerative diseases and potential therapeutic approaches.
• Biomedical ethics in the age of cutting-edge research.

Maternal and Child Health Research Topics

• The influence of the mother’s nutrition on the development and health of the fetus.
• Maternal mental health and its positive effects on child development.
• Preterm birth prevention and interventions for at-risk pregnancies.
• Neonatal screening and early diagnosis of congenital diseases.
• Breastfeeding promotion and support for new mothers.
• Pediatric immunization programs and vaccine hesitancy.
• Child obesity prevention and intervention strategies.
• Maternal and child health in low-resource and conflict-affected areas.
• Maternal mortality reduction and improving access to obstetric care.
• Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their long-term health consequences.

Mental Health Stigma Research Topics

• Understanding the origins and perpetuation of mental health stigma.
• Media and pop culture’s impact on mental disease views.
• Reducing stigma in the workplace and promoting mental health support.
• Stigma associated with specific mental health conditions (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder).
• Intersectionality and how it influences mental health stigma.
• Anti-stigma campaigns and their effectiveness in changing public attitudes.
• Stigma in online communities and the role of social media in shaping opinions.
• Cultural and cross-cultural perspectives on mental health stigma.
• The impact of self-stigma on individuals seeking mental health treatment.
• Legislative and policy efforts to combat mental health stigma.

Health Education and Promotion Research Topics

• Health literacy and its impact on informed decision-making.
• Promoting healthy behaviors in schools and educational settings.
• Social marketing campaigns for health behavior change.
• Community-based health promotion programs in underserved areas.
• The role of technology and social media in health education.
• Tailoring health messages to diverse populations and cultural sensitivity.
• The use of behavioral economics in health promotion strategies.
• Investigating the effectiveness of school-based sex education programs.
• Health education for the elderly population: Challenges and solutions.
• Promoting mental health awareness and resilience through education.

Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety Research Topics

• Patient-centered care and its impact on healthcare quality.
• Reducing medical errors and negative events in healthcare settings.
• Continuous quality improvement in healthcare organizations.
• The role of healthcare accreditation in ensuring quality and safety.
• Patient engagement and shared decision-making in healthcare.
• Electronic health records and patient safety.
• The ethics of telling patients and families about medical blunders.
• Medication safety and preventing adverse drug events.
• Cultural competence in healthcare and its effect on patient safety.
• Disaster preparedness and response in healthcare settings.

Health Informatics and Data Analytics Research Topics

• Big data analytics in healthcare for predictive modeling.
• Artificial intelligence in medical image analysis and diagnostics.
• Health information exchange and interoperability challenges.
• Electronic health record (EHR) usability and user satisfaction.
• Patient data privacy and security in health informatics.
• Telemedicine and its impact on healthcare delivery and data management.
• Real-time monitoring and data analytics for disease outbreaks.
• Health informatics applications in personalized medicine.
• Natural language processing for clinical notes and text analysis.
• The role of data analyticsin enhancing healthcare quality and outcomes.

Neurological Disorders Research Topics

• Neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s).
• Stroke prevention and rehabilitation strategies.
• Advances in brain imaging techniques for diagnosing neurological disorders.
• Pediatric neurological disorders: Diagnosis and intervention.
• Neurogenetics and the role of genetics in neurological conditions.
• Traumatic brain injury: Long-term effects and rehabilitation.
• Neurorehabilitation and quality of life improvement in patients with neurological disorders.
• Neurological consequences of long COVID and post-viral syndromes.
• The gut-brain connection and its implications for neurological health.
• Ethical considerations in neurological research and treatment.

Bioethics in Health Research Topics

• Informed consent and its challenges in clinical trials and research.
• Ethical considerations in human genome editing and gene therapy.
• Allocation of healthcare resources and the principles of distributive justice.
• The ethics of organ transplantation and organ trafficking.
• End-of-life decision-making, including physician-assisted suicide.
• Ethical issues in the use of Artficial intelligence in healthcare decision-making.
• Research involving vulnerable populations: Balancing benefits and risks.
• Ethical considerations in global health research and disparities.
• Ethical implications of emerging biotechnologies, such as CRISPR-Cas9.
• Autonomy and decision-making capacity in healthcare ethics.

Read More 

• Biology Research Topics
• Neuroscience Research Topics

Points To Be Remembered While Selecting Health Related Research Topics

When selecting a health-related research topic, there are several important considerations to keep in mind to ensure your research is meaningful and effective. Here are 7 key points to remember:

• Interest and Passion: Choose a topic that is according to your interests you, as your enthusiasm will fuel your research.
• Relevance: Ensure your topic addresses a real health issue or concern that can make a positive impact.
• Resources Availability: Confirm that you have access to the necessary materials and information for your research.
• Manageability: Pick a topic that is not too broad, ensuring it’s something you can investigate thoroughly.
• Guidance: Seek advice from experts or mentors to refine your topic and receive valuable insights.
• Ethical Considerations : Always consider the ethical implications of your research and ensure it complies with ethical guidelines.
• Feasibility: Ensure that the research can be completed within the available time and resources.

In the ever-evolving landscape of health research, selecting the right topic is the foundation for meaningful contributions. This blog has provided a roadmap for choosing health-related research topics, emphasizing the importance of personal interest, relevance, available resources, manageability, and expert guidance. Additionally, it has offered 300+ research topics across various domains, including mental health, public health, nutrition, chronic diseases, healthcare policy, and more. 

In addition, with these insights, researchers, students, and healthcare professionals can embark on journeys that not only align with their passions but also address critical healthcare challenges. By making informed choices, we can collectively advance the frontiers of health and well-being.

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Research Topics & Ideas: Mental Health

100+ Mental Health Research Topic Ideas To Fast-Track Your Project

If you’re just starting out exploring mental health topics for your dissertation, thesis or research project, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll help kickstart your research topic ideation process by providing a hearty list of mental health-related research topics and ideas.

PS – This is just the start…

We know it’s exciting to run through a list of research topics, but please keep in mind that this list is just a starting point . To develop a suitable education-related research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , and a viable plan of action to fill that gap.

If this sounds foreign to you, check out our free research topic webinar that explores how to find and refine a high-quality research topic, from scratch. Alternatively, if you’d like hands-on help, consider our 1-on-1 coaching service .

Overview: Mental Health Topic Ideas

• Mood disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Psychotic disorders
• Personality disorders
• Obsessive-compulsive disorders
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Neurodevelopmental disorders
• Eating disorders
• Substance-related disorders

Mood Disorders

Research in mood disorders can help understand their causes and improve treatment methods. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

• The impact of genetics on the susceptibility to depression
• Efficacy of antidepressants vs. cognitive behavioural therapy
• The role of gut microbiota in mood regulation
• Cultural variations in the experience and diagnosis of bipolar disorder
• Seasonal Affective Disorder: Environmental factors and treatment
• The link between depression and chronic illnesses
• Exercise as an adjunct treatment for mood disorders
• Hormonal changes and mood swings in postpartum women
• Stigma around mood disorders in the workplace
• Suicidal tendencies among patients with severe mood disorders

Anxiety Disorders

Research topics in this category can potentially explore the triggers, coping mechanisms, or treatment efficacy for anxiety disorders.

• The relationship between social media and anxiety
• Exposure therapy effectiveness in treating phobias
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder in children: Early signs and interventions
• The role of mindfulness in treating anxiety
• Genetics and heritability of anxiety disorders
• The link between anxiety disorders and heart disease
• Anxiety prevalence in LGBTQ+ communities
• Caffeine consumption and its impact on anxiety levels
• The economic cost of untreated anxiety disorders
• Virtual Reality as a treatment method for anxiety disorders

Psychotic Disorders

Within this space, your research topic could potentially aim to investigate the underlying factors and treatment possibilities for psychotic disorders.

• Early signs and interventions in adolescent psychosis
• Brain imaging techniques for diagnosing psychotic disorders
• The efficacy of antipsychotic medication
• The role of family history in psychotic disorders
• Misdiagnosis and delayed treatment of psychotic disorders
• Co-morbidity of psychotic and mood disorders
• The relationship between substance abuse and psychotic disorders
• Art therapy as a treatment for schizophrenia
• Public perception and stigma around psychotic disorders
• Hospital vs. community-based care for psychotic disorders

Personality Disorders

Research topics within in this area could delve into the identification, management, and social implications of personality disorders.

• Long-term outcomes of borderline personality disorder
• Antisocial personality disorder and criminal behaviour
• The role of early life experiences in developing personality disorders
• Narcissistic personality disorder in corporate leaders
• Gender differences in personality disorders
• Diagnosis challenges for Cluster A personality disorders
• Emotional intelligence and its role in treating personality disorders
• Psychotherapy methods for treating personality disorders
• Personality disorders in the elderly population
• Stigma and misconceptions about personality disorders

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders

Within this space, research topics could focus on the causes, symptoms, or treatment of disorders like OCD and hoarding.

• OCD and its relationship with anxiety disorders
• Cognitive mechanisms behind hoarding behaviour
• Deep Brain Stimulation as a treatment for severe OCD
• The impact of OCD on academic performance in students
• Role of family and social networks in treating OCD
• Alternative treatments for hoarding disorder
• Childhood onset OCD: Diagnosis and treatment
• OCD and religious obsessions
• The impact of OCD on family dynamics
• Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Causes and treatment

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Research topics in this area could explore the triggers, symptoms, and treatments for PTSD. Here are some thought starters to get you moving.

• PTSD in military veterans: Coping mechanisms and treatment
• Childhood trauma and adult onset PTSD
• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) efficacy
• Role of emotional support animals in treating PTSD
• Gender differences in PTSD occurrence and treatment
• Effectiveness of group therapy for PTSD patients
• PTSD and substance abuse: A dual diagnosis
• First responders and rates of PTSD
• Domestic violence as a cause of PTSD
• The neurobiology of PTSD

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

This category of mental health aims to better understand disorders like Autism and ADHD and their impact on day-to-day life.

• Early diagnosis and interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder
• ADHD medication and its impact on academic performance
• Parental coping strategies for children with neurodevelopmental disorders
• Autism and gender: Diagnosis disparities
• The role of diet in managing ADHD symptoms
• Neurodevelopmental disorders in the criminal justice system
• Genetic factors influencing Autism
• ADHD and its relationship with sleep disorders
• Educational adaptations for children with neurodevelopmental disorders
• Neurodevelopmental disorders and stigma in schools

Eating Disorders

Research topics within this space can explore the psychological, social, and biological aspects of eating disorders.

• The role of social media in promoting eating disorders
• Family dynamics and their impact on anorexia
• Biological basis of binge-eating disorder
• Treatment outcomes for bulimia nervosa
• Eating disorders in athletes
• Media portrayal of body image and its impact
• Eating disorders and gender: Are men underdiagnosed?
• Cultural variations in eating disorders
• The relationship between obesity and eating disorders
• Eating disorders in the LGBTQ+ community

Substance-Related Disorders

Research topics in this category can focus on addiction mechanisms, treatment options, and social implications.

• Efficacy of rehabilitation centres for alcohol addiction
• The role of genetics in substance abuse
• Substance abuse and its impact on family dynamics
• Prescription drug abuse among the elderly
• Legalisation of marijuana and its impact on substance abuse rates
• Alcoholism and its relationship with liver diseases
• Opioid crisis: Causes and solutions
• Substance abuse education in schools: Is it effective?
• Harm reduction strategies for drug abuse
• Co-occurring mental health disorders in substance abusers

Choosing A Research Topic

These research topic ideas we’ve covered here serve as thought starters to help you explore different areas within mental health. They are intentionally very broad and open-ended. By engaging with the currently literature in your field of interest, you’ll be able to narrow down your focus to a specific research gap .

It’s important to consider a variety of factors when choosing a topic for your dissertation or thesis . Think about the relevance of the topic, its feasibility , and the resources available to you, including time, data, and academic guidance. Also, consider your own interest and expertise in the subject, as this will sustain you through the research process.

Always consult with your academic advisor to ensure that your chosen topic aligns with academic requirements and offers a meaningful contribution to the field. If you need help choosing a topic, consider our private coaching service.

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Good morning everyone. This are very patent topics for research in neuroscience. Thank you for guidance

What if everything is important, original and intresting? as in Neuroscience. I find myself overwhelmd with tens of relveant areas and within each area many optional topics. I ask myself if importance (for example – able to treat people suffering) is more relevant than what intrest me, and on the other hand if what advance me further in my career should not also be a consideration?

This information is really helpful and have learnt alot

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Medical Student Research

We believe that early exposure to cutting-edge research and psychiatric care in clinical settings inspires a new breed of scientists, passionate about helping those with mental illness. The medical student research opportunities in our Department engage scholars in independent projects, and provide an authentic research experience that helps them to define their career goals.

Medical Scientist Training Program

Our faculty members serve as mentors to students in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) , sponsored jointly by the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon. Upon acceptance into the program, students consult their career advisor to choose a mentor for their PhD studies and may choose from among our research faculty . 

Examples of MSTP Students Mentored by our Faculty

Longitudinal research project.

The School of Medicine's Longitudinal Research Project (LRP) is a longitudinal experience throughout the four years of the medical school curriculum in which students engage in a research project under the mentorship of a faculty member.  Each student is assigned a LRP Director, who will follow their progress throughout the entire longitudinal LRP experience.

Medical student training opportunities in specific areas of psychiatric research are provided through these programs:

• Innovative Methods in Pathogenesis and Child Treatment
• Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine
• Clinical and Translational Research Training in Geriatric Psychiatry
• Translational Research Training in Sleep Medicine  
• Population Neuroscience of Alzheimer’s Disease and Age-Related Dementia

Medical students who want to conduct their scholarly project in other areas of psychiatric research should view our list of research faculty and then contact potential mentors individually.

Roth Fellowship

Beginning in their third year of medical school, students whose Longitudinal Research Projects (LRPs) have a neuroscience focus may be partially sponsored by  Loren H. Roth, MD . These students are designated “Roth Fellows” and are provided $500 to use in multiple ways related to the execution of their neuroscience projects. Such students are evaluated by their faculty mentors as part of the overall application process to become a “Roth Fellow”.   We encourage students with such neuroscience research projects to notify their faculty mentors of the Roth Fellowship. Mentors may then contact Dr. Loren Roth directly by email ( [email protected] ) or by telephone (412-647-4861) to learn more about this opportunity for their respective mentees.

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207 Mental Health Research Topics For Top Students

College and university students pursuing psychology studies must write research papers on mental health in their studies. It is not always an exciting moment for the students since getting quality mental health topics is tedious. However, this article presents expert ideas and writing tips for students in this field. Enjoy!

What Is Mental Health?

It is an integral component of health that deals with the feeling of well-being when one realizes his or her abilities, cope with the pressures of life, and productively work. Mental health also incorporates how humans interact with each other, emote, or think. It is a vital concern of any human life that cannot be neglected.

How To Write Mental Health Research Topics

One should approach the subject of mental health with utmost preciseness. If handled carelessly, cases such as depression, suicide or low self-esteem may occur. That is why students are advised to carefully choose mental health research paper topics for their paper with the mind reader.

To get mental health topics for research paper, you can use the following sources:

• The WHO website
• Websites of renowned psychology clinics
• News reports and headlines.

However, we have a list of writing ideas that you can use for your inspiration. Check them out!

Top Mental Disorders Research Topics

• Is the psychological treatment of mental disorders working for all?
• How do substance-use disorders impede the healing process?
• Discuss the effectiveness of the mental health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP)
• Are non-specialists in mental health able to manage severe mental disorders?
• The role of the WHO in curbing and treating mental disorders globally
• The contribution of coronavirus pandemic to mental disorders
• How does television contribute to mental disorders among teens?
• Does religion play a part in propagating mental disorders?
• How does peer pressure contribute to mental disorders among teens?
• The role of the guidance and counselling departments in helping victims of mental disorders
• How to develop integrated and responsive mental health to such disorders
• Discuss various strategies for promotion and prevention in mental health
• The role of information systems in mental disorders

Mental Illness Research Questions

• The role of antidepressant medicines in treating mental illnesses
• How taxation of alcoholic beverages and their restriction can help in curbing mental illnesses
• The impact of mental illnesses on the economic development of a country
• Efficient and cost-effective ways of treating mental illnesses
• Early childhood interventions to prevent future mental illnesses
• Why children from single-parent families are prone to mental illnesses
• Do opportunities for early learning have a role in curbing mental diseases?
• Life skills programmes that everyone should embrace to fight mental illnesses
• The role of nutrition and diet in causing mental illness
• How socio-economic empowerment of women can help promote mental health
• Practical social support for elderly populations to prevent mental illnesses
• How to help vulnerable groups against mental illnesses
• Evaluate the effectiveness of mental health promotional activities in schools

Hot Mental Health Topics For Research

• Do stress prevention programmes on TV work?
• The role of anti-discrimination laws and campaigns in promoting mental health
• Discuss specific psychological and personality factors leading to mental disorders
• How can biological factors lead to mental problems?
• How stressful work conditions can stir up mental health disorders
• Is physical ill-health a pivotal contributor to mental disorders today?
• Why sexual violence has led many to depression and suicide
• The role of life experiences in mental illnesses: A case of trauma
• How family history can lead to mental health problems
• Can people with mental health problems recover entirely?
• Why sleeping too much or minor can be an indicator of mental disorders.
• Why do people with mental health problems pull away from others?
• Discuss confusion as a sign of mental disorders

Research Topics For Mental Health Counseling

• Counselling strategies that help victims cope with the stresses of life
• Is getting professional counselling help becoming too expensive?
• Mental health counselling for bipolar disorders
• How psychological counselling affects victims of mental health disorders
• What issues are students free to share with their guiding and counselling masters?
• Why are relationship issues the most prevalent among teenagers?
• Does counselling help in the case of obsessive-compulsive disorders?
• Is counselling a cure to mental health problems?
• Why talking therapies are the most effective in dealing with mental disorders
• How does talking about your experiences help in dealing with the problem?
• Why most victims approach their counsellors feeling apprehensive and nervous
• How to make a patient feel comfortable during a counselling session
• Why counsellors should not push patients to talk about stuff they aren’t ready to share

Mental Health Law Research Topics

• Discuss the effectiveness of the Americans with Disabilities Act
• Does the Capacity to Consent to Treatment law push patients to the wall?
• Evaluate the effectiveness of mental health courts
• Does forcible medication lead to severe mental health problems?
• Discuss the institutionalization of mental health facilities
• Analyze the Consent to Clinical Research using mentally ill patients
• What rights do mentally sick patients have? Are they effective?
• Critically analyze proxy decision making for mental disorders
• Why some Psychiatric Advance directives are punitive
• Discuss the therapeutic jurisprudence of mental disorders
• How effective is legal guardianship in the case of mental disorders?
• Discuss psychology laws & licensing boards in the United States
• Evaluate state insanity defence laws

Controversial Research Paper Topics About Mental Health

• Do mentally ill patients have a right to choose whether to go to psychiatric centres or not?
• Should families take the elderly to mental health institutions?
• Does the doctor have the right to end the life of a terminally ill mental patient?
• The use of euthanasia among extreme cases of mental health
• Are mental disorders a result of curses and witchcraft?
• Do violent video games make children aggressive and uncontrollable?
• Should mental institutions be located outside the cities?
• How often should families visit their relatives who are mentally ill?
• Why the government should fully support the mentally ill
• Should mental health clinics use pictures of patients without their consent?
• Should families pay for the care of mentally ill relatives?
• Do mentally ill patients have the right to marry or get married?
• Who determines when to send a patient to a mental health facility?

Mental Health Topics For Discussion

• The role of drama and music in treating mental health problems
• Explore new ways of coping with mental health problems in the 21 st century
• How social media is contributing to various mental health problems
• Does Yoga and meditation help to treat mental health complications?
• Is the mental health curriculum for psychology students inclusive enough?
• Why solving problems as a family can help alleviate mental health disorders
• Why teachers can either maintain or disrupt the mental state of their students
• Should patients with mental health issues learn to live with their problems?
• Why socializing is difficult for patients with mental disorders
• Are our online psychology clinics effective in handling mental health issues?
• Discuss why people aged 18-25 are more prone to mental health problems
• Analyze the growing trend of social stigma in the United States
• Are all people with mental health disorders violent and dangerous?

Mental Health Of New Mothers Research Topics

• The role of mental disorders in mother-infant bonding
• How mental health issues could lead to delays in the emotional development of the infant
• The impact of COVID-19 physical distancing measures on postpartum women
• Why anxiety and depression are associated with preterm delivery
• The role of husbands in attending to wives’ postpartum care needs
• What is the effectiveness of screening for postpartum depression?
• The role of resilience in dealing with mental issues after delivery
• Why marginalized women are more prone to postpartum depression
• Why failure to bond leads to mental disorders among new mothers
• Discuss how low and middle-income countries contribute to perinatal depression
• How to prevent the recurrence of postpartum mental disorders in future
• The role of anti-depression drugs in dealing with depression among new mothers
• A case study of the various healthcare interventions for perinatal anxiety and mood disorders

What Are The Hot Topics For Mental Health Research Today

• Discuss why mental health problems may be a result of a character flaw
• The impact of damaging stereotypes in mental health
• Why are many people reluctant to speak about their mental health issues?
• Why the society tends to judge people with mental issues
• Does alcohol and wasting health help one deal with a mental problem?
• Discuss the role of bullying in causing mental health disorders among students
• Why open forums in school and communities can help in curbing mental disorders
• How to build healthy relationships that can help in solving mental health issues
• Discuss frustration and lack of understanding in relationships
• The role of a stable and supportive family in preventing mental disorders
• How parents can start mental health conversations with their children
• Analyze the responsibilities of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
• The role of a positive mind in dealing with psychological problems

Good Research Topics On Refugees Mental Health

• Why do refugees find themselves under high levels of stress?
• Discuss the modalities of looking after the mental health of refugees
• Evaluate the importance of a cultural framework in helping refugees with mental illnesses
• How refugee camp administrators can help identify mental health disorders among refugees
• Discuss the implications of dangerous traditional practices
• The role of the UNHCR in assisting refugees with mental problems
• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder among refugees
• Dealing with hopelessness among refugees
• The prevalence of traumatic experiences in refugee camps
• Does cognitive-behavioural therapy work for refugees?
• Discuss the role of policy planning in dealing with refugee-mental health problems
• Are psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine effective in refugee camps?
• Practical groups and in‐group therapeutic settings for refugee camps

Adolescent Mental Health Research Topics

• Discuss why suicide is among the leading causes of death among adolescents
• The role of acting-out behaviour or substance use in mental issues among adolescents
• Mental effects of unsafe sexual behaviour among adolescents
• Psychopharmacologic agents and menstrual dysfunction in adolescents
• The role of confidentiality in preventive care visits
• Mental health disorders and impairment among adolescents
• Why adolescents not in school risk developing mental disorders
• Does a clinical model work for adolescents with mental illnesses?
• The role of self-worth and esteem in dealing with adolescent mental disorders
• How to develop positive relationships with peers
• Technology and mental ill-health among adolescents
• How to deal with stigma among adolescents
• Curriculum that supports young people to stay engaged and motivated

Research Topics For Mental Health And Government

• Evaluate mental health leadership and governance in the United States
• Advocacy and partnerships in dealing with mental health
• Discuss mental health and socio-cultural perspective
• Management and coordination of mental health policy frameworks
• Roles and responsibilities of governments in dealing with mental health
• Monitoring and evaluation of mental health policies
• What is the essence of a mental health commission?
• Benefits of mental well-being to the prosperity of a country
• Necessary reforms to the mental health systems
• Legal frameworks for dealing with substance use disorders
• How mental health can impede the development of a country
• The role of the government in dealing with decaying mental health institutions
• Inadequate legislation in dealing with mental health problems

Abnormal Psychology Topics

• What does it mean to display strange behaviour?
• Role of mental health professionals in dealing with abnormal psychology
• Discuss the concept of dysfunction in mental illness
• How does deviance relate to mental illness?
• Role of culture and social norms
• The cost of treating abnormal psychology in the US
• Using aversive treatment in abnormal psychology
• Importance of psychological debriefing
• Is addiction a mental disease?
• Use of memory-dampening drugs
• Coercive interrogations and psychology

Behavioural Health Issues In Mental Health

• Detachment from reality
• Inability to withstand daily problems
• Conduct disorder among children
• Role of therapy in behavioural disorders
• Eating and drinking habits and mental health
• Addictive behaviour patterns for teenagers in high school
• Discuss mental implications of gambling and sex addiction
• Impact of maladaptive behaviours on the society
• Extreme mood changes
• Confused thinking
• Role of friends in behavioural complications
• Spiritual leaders in helping deal with behavioural issues
• Suicidal thoughts

Latest Psychology Research Topics

• Discrimination and prejudice in a society
• Impact of negative social cognition
• Role of personal perceptions
• How attitudes affect mental well-being
• Effects of cults on cognitive behaviour
• Marketing and psychology
• How romance can distort normal cognitive functioning
• Why people with pro-social behaviour may be less affected
• Leadership and mental health
• Discuss how to deal with anti-social personality disorders
• Coping with phobias in school
• The role of group therapy
• Impact of dreams on one’s psychological behaviour

Professional Psychiatry Research Topics

• The part of false memories
• Media and stress disorders
• Impact of gender roles
• Role of parenting styles
• Age and psychology
• The biography of Harry Harlow
• Career paths in psychology
• Dissociative disorders
• Dealing with paranoia
• Delusions and their remedy
• A distorted perception of reality
• Rights of mental caregivers
• Dealing with a loss
• Handling a break-up

Consider using our expert research paper writing services for your mental health paper today. Satisfaction is guaranteed!

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Increasing Interest in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry During Medical School: Launching a Summer Immersion Experience for Medical Students

• Educational Case Report
• Open access
• Published: 23 December 2021
• Volume 46 , pages 70–74, ( 2022 )

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• Desirée N. Shapiro   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1367-8713 1  

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There is a global shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAPs) with an insufficient supply to meet a growing demand. The World Health Organization estimates that there are less than 0.1 CAPs per 100,000 youth in all income levels globally, except in high-income regions that still only have 1.19 CAPs per 100,000 youth [ 1 ]. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry confirms the concerning shortage of CAPs in states across the nation [ 2 ]. There are approximately 9787 actively practicing CAPs in the USA with an estimated 9.75 CAPs per 100,000 youth with a need for at least 47 per 100,000 youth [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Despite a recent reassuring workforce projection, more action is needed and there is concern for underestimation of these projections [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. In addition, there is a critical underrepresentation of certain racial and ethnic minoritized groups and women in medicine [ 8 ]. From the data available comparing the demographics and identities of the psychiatry workforce with the US population, gaps and opportunities are evident with female and historically marginalized groups being underrepresented [ 9 ]. The US population is increasingly becoming more multiracial and ethnically and racially diverse with significant diversity in our nation’s younger population [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. It is estimated that by 2060, the number of children identifying as two or more races will double [ 13 ].

Equity, inclusion, and diversity must be central in education, care, and recruitment of the workforce pipeline. A diverse workforce is better able to respond to the needs of populations from a variety of backgrounds in clinical care, advocacy, teaching, and research; in addition, diversity drives excellence and improves outcomes, performance, and creativity [ 14 ]. It is imperative to consider ways to grow the CAP workforce and emphasize the urgency of representation to reflect communities in need of care, increase access, and improve patient experience and outcomes.

Efforts to grow a more inclusive workforce must begin early in the many pathways to CAP. Exposure to CAP during undergraduate medical education is one strategy to increase interest; however, this exposure varies widely and because of the demand for CAPs in clinical coverage, it is not always possible to learn pediatric mental health concepts from CAPs [ 15 ]. Early exposure and recruitment as well as positive role models have been found to be important when exploring factors that impact career decision-making [ 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Early introduction to CAP with invested teachers, mentors, and sponsors has the potential to increase awareness about the specialty. Reviews of enrichment programs in psychiatry conclude that these experiences may be promising strategies to increase exposure and interest in psychiatry careers [ 18 , 19 ]. Notably, one program sponsored by the Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation offering mentorship, clinical experiences, and research exposure was found to increase knowledge and understanding of CAP as well as provide positive experiences with mentorship [ 17 ]. Psychiatry pipeline programs do exist, including fellowships through the American Psychiatric Association for medical trainees; however, there is limited outcome data providing guidance on how to successfully grow a more diverse workforce within CAP in one’s region [ 20 ].

This article describes the implementation and evaluation of a summer immersion program in CAP that aimed to recruit a diverse group of medical students and integrate cultural empathy and sensitivity throughout the program. Participation in this program was hypothesized to increase interest in the field of CAP and pediatric mental health.

Program Description

The primary aim of the program was to increase exposure to CAP and pediatric mental health topics among medical students. Secondary aims included 1) recruiting a diverse group of medical students considering culture, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, language, religion, spirituality, background, personal identity, class, ability status, and experience and 2) increasing consideration of CAP as a career.

The program consisted of multiple virtual components including educational sessions on core CAP topics, a community engagement presentation for local adolescents, completion of a pediatric mental health project, individual mentorship, and encouragement of cohort cohesion and connection. Educational sessions were led by pediatric mental health experts each day of the week. Students also researched and delivered a presentation to their cohort on a mental health topic of their choice. Topics covered in the program are included in Table 1 .

The community engagement project involved partnering with a group of adolescents representing six local high schools and collaboratively delivering a mental health workshop that honored youth perspective and voice throughout the planning and implementation of the workshop. Students also completed a summer project related to child, adolescent, or family mental health. Students engaged a variety of projects that ranged from scientific writings to community action projects. Students met with the program leadership regularly throughout the summer to discuss questions, reflections, individual learning goals, projects, as well as well-being, navigating the medical journey, and career options. Group discussion sessions occurred once or twice a week to reflect on what was learned. Students created a safe and nurturing space to dialogue about the relevance of mental health in their professional and personal lives. Cultural understanding, humility, and sensitivity were core themes of the discussion sessions. There was also opportunity to discuss the journey of medical school; fourth year students generously shared perspectives and experiences with more junior medical students. In addition, trainees benefitted from dialoguing about reasons why they may not want to pursue CAP, including lack of exposure, multiple forms of stigma, lengthy training, limited financial compensation, emotionally challenging work, and limited access to mentors/sponsors.

A WhatsApp group was used to communicate throughout the week about program content in addition to social events, happy hours, and movie nights. Some students attended additional events that were offered including a summer student led book club, Psychiatry and CAP Departmental Grand Rounds, community mental health meetings, county mental health trainings, Schwartz Rounds, and campus-wide events related to health equity and anti-racism.

Students applied in the winter of 2020 and were invited into the program in the spring of 2020. Students began exploring areas of interest in the spring of 2020 to start the summer with a plan for their pediatric mental health–focused projects. During the active phase of the 2-month program, students generally attended sessions, discussions, or meetings in the first half of the day and were expected to work on their individual projects, complete readings, meet for individual check-ins, or join an optional discussion in the afternoons. Student time on project development and implementations varied depending on the type of project and role. Faculty time during the spring and summer was considerable in planning, teaching, coordinating, and facilitating the program.

Students from the MD-only degree program received a financial stipend for participating. No students received academic credit for this experience; however, many students engage in a scholarly or research program in between the summer of year 1 and year 2 of medical school.

All applicants were asked to submit a statement of interest and a statement of equity, diversity, and inclusion. During recruitment, applicants with diverse backgrounds, identities, and life experiences were strongly encouraged and invited to apply. The 9 participants self-identified in the following ways: Asian/Asian American ( n  = 3), Black/African American ( n  = 1), Hispanic/Latinx ( n  = 1), White/Caucasian ( n  = 3), and declined to state ( n  = 1). Six participants were between 22 and 25 years of age, and three were between 26 and 29 years of age; six identified as female and three identified as male. The participants included six rising second year medical students, two rising fourth year students, and one student entering into a PhD program. The program was made possible by a grant from UnitedHealth Group.

Evaluation Data

External evaluators from a local Center for Research and Evaluation reviewed the 2020 summer program using a post-program survey and 90-min focus group. Eight of the nine program participants completed the survey and eight out of nine completed the focus group. Completing the survey or focus group was optional and these were scheduled during a busy end of summer and beginning of the academic year period.

The feedback from the post-program survey and focus group was overwhelmingly positive, with all eight respondents reporting they were “very satisfied” with the program and “more likely” to pursue a CAP career because of their participation in the program. Half responded that they were “somewhat likely” to pursue CAP and the other half reported they were “very likely” to pursue CAP as a career. The youth outreach presentation and individual mentoring sessions were rated as the most useful program components. Themes from the focus groups included 1) an appreciation of the community of the cohort, 2) the opportunity to engage with and identify with diverse CAPs from across the country, 3) the faculty leadership and method of running the experience including commitment, availability, and encouragement, 4) perception shifts including dispelling popular and preconceived notions about CAP, and 5) the focus on cultural sensitivity and gaining comfort in talking about CAP concepts.

Feedback from participants included helpful suggestions including giving more lead time to develop summer projects, offering more time to process and debrief after sessions, including an early session on detailed career paths and options to become a CAP, and creating longitudinal opportunities to work with youth partners. Students also gave feedback on the talks and suggested additional topics to be added to the didactic series. Below are quotes from participants post-program.

This program offered a unique experience for medical students to dive into a field of medicine that is not emphasized during medical school. It was incredible to hear from experts in the field share their thoughts on child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP), the nuances of the field, their experiences with CAP. It opened our eyes to this extraordinary field that is challenging yet rewarding in every sense. The program also provided a much needed space for students to process medical school experiences such as being on wards in addition to processing the current and long-lasting injustices of the United States climate. In having a comfortable, welcoming space to share our thoughts, students were encouraged to reflect on our role in moving forward as anti-racist students and future physicians. This program was incredible. I did not really know what to anticipate, but I learned more than I could have imagined. We learned a lot about mental health conditions, diagnoses, and medications, and in a more in-depth manner than we will in school. This program, however, went beyond that. It delved into WHY people are diagnosed--the signs and symptoms, but also due to biases, race, culture, and so many other factors that we don’t get a chance to explore in school. I did not know much about psychiatry in youth. I honestly knew what people say about it--including medication and how it would be so hard to see kids struggling with mental health. I did not realize how much HOPE is in this field.

The availability of pediatric mental health care is a public health problem and national emergency. Youth and families deserve timely, quality, culturally responsive and respectful care. Early exposure programs may be one way to address the critical workforce shortage of CAPs with 70% of counties in the USA lacking a single CAP [ 4 ]. This immersive CAP summer program for medical students offered a new opportunity to learn about CAP and the importance of pediatric mental health. All respondents reported they would be more likely to pursue a career in CAP because of participating in this summer program. Many had not considered CAP or known it was a specialty to pursue prior to the call for applications.

Early enrichment programs appear to play a role in increasing or encouraging interest in psychiatry [ 17 , 18 ]. Similar to other programs aimed at increasing exposure or interest in psychiatry, this early exposure opportunity was positively received. Emphasis on growing an inclusive and diverse workforce is essential to increase access and deliver equitable care.

Even if students exposed to youth and family mental health educational experiences during medical school do not eventually become CAPs, they may enter their respective specialties with an appreciation of the importance of youth and family well-being and may have greater comfort levels in discussing mental health, identifying concerns, and connecting patients to the appropriate services. Discussing barriers to choose CAP as a group was useful, including addressing professional and societal stigma, lack of exposure, and emotional challenges with the work. Cultivating inclusive clinical learning environments that include opportunities for reflection and processing may build empathy, increase resilience, and decrease stigma. Community cohesion was strong in this cohort; there was a clear sense of camaraderie, support, and genuine care for colleagues. Creating space to discuss one’s own identity and culture and how this relates to delivering sensitive, affirming, and empowering care may be worthwhile.

Further study is needed to explore the expansion and replicability of the program components and curriculum as well as any longitudinal impact on interest, increasing diversity, and trainees developing into more inclusive physician leaders. Limitations of this educational case report are numerous. This was a one-time experience without ability to generalize to other groups or schools. The cost of the speakers and stipends for the students would not have been possible without grant support from UnitedHealth Group. In addition, all students had some level of baseline interest in CAP given their application to the program.

In summary, choosing a medical specialty to pursue is a complex process that may begin before matriculation into medical school. Increasing opportunities to learn about CAP early in one’s medical journey may help grow the workforce and/or increase awareness about the importance of mental health and well-being across all medical specialities.

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The author is thankful for the engagement and participation of the medical student scholars and the evaluation support from the UC San Diego Extension Center of Research and Evaluation.

Dr. Shapiro has received grant support from UnitedHealth Group.

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Shapiro, D.N. Increasing Interest in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry During Medical School: Launching a Summer Immersion Experience for Medical Students. Acad Psychiatry 46 , 70–74 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-021-01573-1

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550 Psychiatry & Psychology Research Topics to Investigate in 2024

Have you ever wondered why everyone has a unique set of character traits? What is the connection between brain function and people’s behavior? How do we memorize things or make decisions?

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These are quite intriguing and puzzling questions, right? A science that will answer them is psychology . It’s a multi-faceted study of the human mind and behavior. It investigates the effect of various factors on one’s identity.

Another science that explores people’s mental health is psychiatry . But what’s the difference between these two branches? Basically, psychiatrists are people with a medical degree. They treat mental illnesses by prescribing medications. In contrast, psychologists use talk therapy to treat their patients. Are you searching for outstanding psychiatry and psychology research topics? Continue reading— our custom writing team have compiled the best ones for you!

🔝 Top 10 Research Questions about Mental Health

• 📚 Fields Of Research

🎓 Top 10 Mental Health Research Topics for College Students

⭐ top 10 psychiatry research topics.

• 🧑‍⚕️ Psychiatric Nursing Topics
• 🏛️ Cultural Psychology
• ⚕️ Abnormal Psychology Topics
• 👶 Developmental Psychology Topics
• 🧠 Cognitive Psychology Topics
• 🧬 Topics in Biopsychology
• 💊 Health Psychology Topics
• 🏅 Sports Psychology Topics
• 🕵️ Topics in Forensic Psychology
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• 🧪 Experimental Psychology Topics
• ✅ How to Write a Research Question

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• What causes psychosis?
• Is therapy efficient for DMDD?
• What are ADHD symptoms in adults?
• Can OCD symptoms ease over time?
• How can stimulant addiction be avoided?
• What conditions can antidepressants help with?
• What distinguishes children’s reaction to trauma?
• What are genetic factors for developing schizophrenia?
• What are the side effects of electroconvulsive therapy?
• Why is bipolar disorder typically diagnosed during late adolescence?

📚 Fields of Research in Psychology & Psychiatry

Now, psychology and psychiatry have a lot to offer. These two disciplines are quite complex and contain several fields. Let’s review them right now!

The major areas of psychology are:

• Social psychology explores how people’s beliefs and emotions are structured within a social context.
• Abnormal psychology studies emotional and mental disorders.
• Developmental & children psychology focuses on people’s cognitive growth over the lifespan.
• Cognitive psychology discovers how people think, learn, and memorize.
• Biopsychology investigates how the nervous system influences our behavior.
• Health psychology explores how to prevent illnesses using psychological principles.
• Sport psychology studies athletes’ behavior and habits.
• Forensic psychology helps to analyze and solve crimes and other civil issues.
• Experimental psychology investigates the basic cognitive processes of people and animals.

And what about the major branches of psychiatry ? We’ve listed them below:

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• Anxiety, mood, eating, and related disorders. It studies and develops treatments for common mental illnesses.
• Behavioral and psychosomatic medicine. This branch explores the connection between psychosocial and behavioral factors. It also studies how these factors influence people’s health.
• Brain aging and mental health . This subfield examines the effects of aging on human brain activity.
• Child and adolescent psychiatry discovers ways of treatment and prevention of childhood disorders.
• Epidemiology uses a wide range of methods to study mental illnesses in populations.
• Gender, sexuality, and health. This subfield analyzes the effect of gender and sexual orientation on one’s mental health.
• Neuroscience explores the human nervous system.
• Psychotic disorders . This field studies mental illnesses that result in abnormal thinking.
• Substance use disorders. It’s a branch of psychiatry that focuses on the treatment of addictions.

All these fields of science are exciting and beneficial to study. Choose the one you like best, and use it as a starting point for your paper!

• Sleep patterns in BPD
• Diabetes: comorbid disorders
• Cannabis use and schizophrenia
• Manic episodes in bipolar teenagers
• Bipolar disorder and risky behaviors
• Catastrophic thinking in older patients
• Bereavement-related depression treatment
• Factitious disorder in single-parent families
• Effects of media on gun-related violence
• Effects of pandemics on cognitive disorders

🏥 Psychiatry Topics for Research Papers

Do you need to write a research paper on psychiatry? Bear in mind that a key to a successful essay is a thought-provoking topic. Below you’ll find a list of the most effective psychiatry topics for research papers:

• The influence of tobacco addiction on human brain activity.
• Review the most effective ways of treating schizophrenia .
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder : treatment and prevention.
• Why is ADHD more often diagnosed among children than adults?
• What’s the difference between perfectionism and OCD?
• The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s mental health.
• Why shouldn’t we ignore the symptoms of depression?
• Unhealthy relationships in a family as a cause of children’s mental disorders.
• What are the key factors that provoke depression ?
• Are LGBTQ people more vulnerable to psychiatric disorders?
• Ways to prevent the development of mental illness.
• Bipolar disorder: causes, treatment, prevention.
• How can we prevent addiction to sedatives?
• Assess the role of parents in the treatment of teen anorexia .
• Bulimia nervosa: symptoms and causes.
• Life after drug addiction: is it possible to get back to normal life?
• Depression in women: causes and effects.
• Study the comorbidity of social anxiety disorder with OCD.
• Brain aging as a cause of mental disorders development.
• Back to WWII: disorders in concentration camp captives.
• Discuss the neurologic effects of COVID-19.
• When does insomnia become a dangerous disorder?
• Postpartum depression as the most common disorder among first-time mothers.
• Side effects of medications used for psychiatric disorders treatment.
• The use of classical music to treat mental illness.
• What are the most effective methods to overcome ADHD in childhood?
• Epileptic disorders: diagnosis and treatment.
• Evaluate the potency of talk therapy against suicidal thoughts.
• Obesity as a cause of anxiety and depression.
• Can the lack of sleep lead to anxiety?
• Parental divorce as a cause of a child’s depression.
• Stress at the workplace increases the risks of mental disorders.
• What’s the role of genetics in mental illness development?
• Newborn hearing test as a tool for early autism detection.
• The adverse side effects of prolonged antidepressant treatment.
• Cyberbullying as a cause of depression among teenagers.
• How can alcohol abuse in women be overcome?
• Can a healthy lifestyle decrease the risk of ADHD development?
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder: symptoms and medical treatments.
• Rules everyone should know to prevent mental health disorders .

🧑‍⚕️ Psychiatric Nursing Research Topics

Nursing students should be ready to face a lot of challenges. To be fully prepared, take the maximum advantage from studying. Do you need to write an essay on mental health nursing? We have some fascinating topic ideas to choose from.

• Nursing ethics : aspects that a future nurse should know.
• Assess the significance of compassion for psychiatric nurses.
• What virtues should every psychiatric nurse possess?
• The application of psychopharmacology in psychiatric nursing.
• Review the challenges of geriatric psychiatric care.
• Starting your nursing career : what every intern should know.
• How to understand whether you are ready to become a psychiatric nurse.
• Discuss the use of nurse navigation for behavioral health .
• Mental illnesses among psychiatric nurses.
• The role of a nurse in the patient’s effective recovery.
• What are the main aspects of dealing with people exposed to trauma?
• How can a psychiatric nurse take care of their own mental health ?
• Nursing staff shortage: reasons, effects, strategies to promote nursing.
• Evaluate Gibbs model for the reflection on psychiatric nursing placement.
• Newly-developed approaches for effective mental health nursing .
• The significance of evidence-based research methods in psychiatric nursing.
• Practical application of modern technologies in psychiatric nursing.
• The role of highly-skilled nurses in clinical psychology practices.

• How does burnout syndrome affect mental health nursing?
• Ways of establishing partnership between a patient and a nurse.
• Review the concept of anti-stigmatization in nursing literature.
• Nursing theory development and its fundamentals.
• Discuss psychiatric nursing career opportunities.
• Use of nurse navigation systems for mental health services .
• Compare nursing practices used to treat children and adults.
• What advice would you, as a psychiatric nursing student, give to people?
• Forbidden psychiatric nursing practices: an overview.
• Write about the methods of dealing with aggressive patients.
• Why isn’t psychiatric nursing a popular occupation among men?
• The limits of the responsibility mental health nurses take for their patients.
• Stigmatization and dehumanization practices used by psychiatric nurses.
• The importance of self-discipline for nurses working in the psychiatry field.
• Review the benefits and drawbacks of mental health nursing career.
• What are the mental health risks of working with psychiatric patients?
• The development of the professional identity of nursing students.
• Study the methods to understand nursing in psychiatric inpatient care.
• What are the factors of compassion fatigue among psychiatric nurses?
• Emotional support and extended vacation for mental health nurses.
• The challenges of working as a nurse in psychiatric inpatient care.
• Evaluate knowledge and skills crucial for mental health nursing.

🧑🤝🧑 Social Psychology Research Topics for College Students

Social psychology studies the basis of our lives. It can explain different situations people get into without even realizing it. Do you need to come up with an exciting idea for your research paper? We’ve gathered a list of possible topics for you:

• What are the predominant issues of social psychology in the 21 st century?
• Assess the link between social psychology and cognitive psychology .
• The socio-psychological influence on legal regulations of discrimination.
• Aggression in male offenders with an Antisocial Personality Disorder.
• Factors of perception of financial disparity in different social classes.
• Social influence psychology: norms, conformity, and compliance.
• Social prejudice towards the people in a tough economic situation.
• Prosocial behavior vs. antisocial behavior.
• Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): recognition, diagnosis, and treatment.
• The influence of structural violence on one’s emotional security.
• Discuss self-identification within the framework of gender and sexual identity.
• The cognitive reasons behind racial prejudice.
• The Bystander Effect: definition, explanation, and prevention.
• Describe the ways of getting used to a new social environment.
• The role of socialization in the formation of self-attitude.
• Study the psychological features of social media communication.
• What are the mechanisms of gender prejudice formation?
• Meaningful interpersonal communication in the era of technology and digitalization.
• Study the socio-psychological impacts of immigration.
• Gender discrimination as one of the most triggering social psychology issues.
• Behavioral experiments in social anxiety disorder treatment.
• The psychology behind the attitudes towards African Americans in the US.
• What are the most effective methods for dealing with gender prejudices?
• Therapeutic interventions for treating Separation Anxiety Disorder .
• Socio-psychological theories in Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder treatment.
• What’s the effect of interpersonal relationships on peoples’ health?
• Review the attitudes towards people with kleptomania in society.
• What are the risk factors associated with Conduct Disorder?
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder in childhood and adolescence.
• Peer pressure phenomenon: explanation and examples.
• What socio-psychological factors may cause anorexia or bulimia ?
• Humor as the tool for establishing positive interpersonal relationships.
• Gender stereotypes and the formation of the self-concept.
• How does ostracism manifest itself in interpersonal relations?
• What social factors affect one’s identity formation?
• Antisocial Personality Disorder: symptoms, treatment, prevention methods.
• Review the socio-psychological techniques of conflict resolution .
• Unstable social environment as a cause of BPD.
• Provide a socio-psychological explanation of Narcissistic Personality Disorder .
• How do leadership qualities develop?

🏛️ Cultural Psychology Topics

Have you ever thought about the influence of culture on people? We are shaped by our cultures—any psychologist can prove that. If you’re working on a paper, check out these topic ideas:

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• What are universal behavioral norms observed across every culture?
• How do online buying habits vary across cultures? What’s a psychological explanation for these differences?
• Homesickness among international students and methods to overcome it.
• Discuss the ways of persuasion in different cultures.
• How can cultural psychology help in making effective advertising campaigns?
• The concept of culture shock: explanation and examples.
• Review the psychological aspects of intercultural marriage .
• How do insults differ in various communities?
• What socio-psychological challenges do interracial couples face?
• Why should body language be used carefully in different countries?
• How can one’s behavior/mindset identify one’s nationality?
• Cultural obstacles that international students usually face.
• How can immigrants adjust to a new culture ?
• The matter of cultural psychology in the modern globalized world.
• Cross-cultural research methods in psychology.
• Explore the adverse effects of cultural stereotypes.
• Assess the popularity of mindfulness techniques across different cultures.
• Why stereotypes develop: a cognitive explanation.
• The cultural psychology of religion , spirituality, and secularism.
• Why are some artworks appreciated globally regardless of their origin?
• What challenges arise in the international student community?
• How to tolerate the distinctive features of other cultures .
• Present a cross-cultural perspective on romantic relationships.
• What processes occur during a cross-cultural collaboration ?
• How does humor differ across cultures?
• Evaluate the influence of culture on one’s identity formation.
• The cognitive obstacles linked to cross-cultural business ethics .
• How does cultural psychology study literature and poetry?
• Study the differences in child-raising techniques across cultures.
• Present psychological methods to help manage the intercultural team.
• Reducing the tension between representatives of different cultures in the same environment.

• Give examples of failed advertising campaigns that ignored cultural norms.
• The history of racial discrimination : a descriptive study.
• Assess the significance of cultural psychology in the 21 st century.
• How does social media influence cultures all over the world?
• The effect of globalization on the research area of cultural psychology.
• The resemblances between collectivist and individualist cultures.
• Compare social cognition in Europeans and Americans.
• What are the ways of preventing misunderstandings in the workplace?
• A cross-cultural analysis of emotions interpretation.

⚕️ Abnormal Psychology Research Topics

Have you ever heard of conditions such as OCD or delusional disorders? Abnormal psychology investigates these mental illnesses. If you need a good topic for your research paper or Ph.D. dissertation, have a look at these ideas:

• What are the leading causes of depression in women across the US?
• Phobias: how do they appear and how to overcome them.
• Review the ways of detecting Borderline Personality Disorder .
• The challenges of abnormal psychology counseling.
• Amnesia: diagnosis, treatment, possible ways of prevention.
• How does working with mentally ill patients affect the health of counselors?
• Avoidance symptoms in posttraumatic stress disorder.
• Conduct a comparison between distress and eustress.
• Case study: mental health disorders among the Vietnam veterans.
• Discuss the mechanisms of drug-induced OCD .
• Narcissistic personality disorder: causes and treatment.
• Explain alcohol addiction from the cognitive perspective.
• How can dialectical therapy help in treating abnormal behaviors?
• Can rational emotive behavior therapy be applied for the treatment of severe mental disorders?
• A provisional psychologist’s approach to issues in abnormal psychology.
• Write a critique on the classification of personality disorders .
• What mental health disorders the death of a close relative can cause?
• The diagnosis of sleep-wake disorders among children.
• Discuss symptoms and causes of vicarious trauma.
• Childhood adversity as a risk factor for PTSD development.
• Compare the schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders.
• Review the multi-faceted constructs in abnormal psychology.
• How is psychoanalytic theory treated in scientific journals on psychology?
• Using examples of celebrities with mental disorders to decrease stigma.
• What are the latest counseling methods in abnormal psychology?
• Assess the value of biological interpretation for abnormal psychology.
• How an abnormal psychology course influences students’ attitude towards mentally-unstable people.
• Internet gaming disorder as a recent phenomenon of abnormal psychology.
• What are the uses of abnormal psychology in general medical practice?
• Provide a study of non-pathologizing trauma interventions.
• Memory distortions caused by anxiety and depression.
• OCD as an example of overlapping clinical and genetic heterogeneity.
• The impact of family relations in the development of bulimia nervosa.
• The forgotten paradigm in abnormal psychology.
• What disorders can develop as a result of sexual abuse?
• Discover the link between depression and low self-esteem.
• How does social media cause the development of an inferiority complex?
• Challenges of being in a romantic relationship with an individual with a Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
• Gender Dysphoria: why do some people perceive themselves to be a different gender than the one they were assigned at birth?
• Ethical aspects of treating the patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

👶 Developmental & Children Psychology Topics

Do you want to know what processes occur in our brain throughout the lifespan? Consider writing a research paper in developmental psychology! You will find the most outstanding essay ideas below:

• How does excessive discipline affect a child’s development?
• The formation of new behavior forms from the classical behaviorist perspective.
• Assess the use of play therapy in counseling preschool children.
• Respondent and operant learning: resemblances and differences.
• Expand on the theory of social learning by A. Bandura.
• Nature and nurture : which one prevails?
• How do people with different levels of ego development interact?
• The overall behavioral approach in the study of mental development.
• Discuss Freud’s stages of psycho-sexual development.
• Freud vs. Klein: a comparison between psychoanalysis approaches.
• What is the practical application of Erickson’s epigenetic concept ?
• Study the stages of memory development in infants.
• Review Jacques Lacan’s mirror stage theory.
• Maslow’s unacknowledged contributions to developmental psychology.
• Analyze Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development.
• Evaluate the role of art in children’s cognitive development .
• What factors can influence attachment in infants ?
• Analyze the effects of listening to classical music during pregnancy.
• What is the role of physical activities for one’s mental development?
• Study the impact of attachments on children’s emotional development.
• How does social media influence teenagers’ psyche?
• What are the psychological mechanisms behind speech development?
• How do children learn to think logically?
• Review the milestones of mental development throughout the lifespan.
• What factors prevent an effective cognitive development of a person?
• Discuss the effects of aging on brain functioning.
• What are the distinctive features of bilingual brain development?
• Is there a correlation between fine motor skills and one’s intelligence?
• What factors influence one’s self-esteem from childhood to adulthood?
• Is homosexuality an inborn or a developed feature?
• Analyze Freud’s explanation of partiality and fetish.
• Explain the phenomenon of egocentrism during the preoperational stage.
• The evolution of humanity through the lens of developmental psychology.
• What external factors influence prenatal development ?
• The influence of parenting style on the adolescent academic performance.
• Discuss the issue of continuity in psychological development.
• What are the differences in brain development between children and adults?
• Review the most common learning disabilities .
• Piaget’s theory of cognitive development: explanation, examples, practical implications.
• The problem of loneliness during early adulthood.

🧠 Cognitive Psychology Research Topics for Papers

Knowing the basics of cognitive psychology is beneficial for everyone. This subfield can explain how your brain works and how to memorize information. If you’re looking for possible research topics, check out these ideas:

• The role of memory capacity in preschool children development.
• Assess the use of neural networks for studying visual memory .
• Cognitive neuroscience foundation of individual differences in categorical learning in school children.
• Analyze the link between mental attention capacity and eye-tracking.
• What can be done about stereotypes related to Autism Spectrum Disorder?
• Sample-test spatial adjacency in visual working memory.
• Study olfactory effects on cognitive performance.
• How can people with SAD cope with unpleasant memories?
• Compare the aspect of visual short-term and long-term memory.
• The role of memories in the impostor syndrome development.
• How can occupational therapy increase independence for autistic adults?
• Discuss similarity effects in visual working memory.
• What influence color psychology has on cognitive development studies?
• Is there a correlation between bilingualism and creativity?
• Study the cognitive foundations of emotion regulation .
• How does cognitive psychology help people with attention disorders?
• Evaluate the role of the hippocampus in semantic memory.
• What are the methods to measure the attention span?
• What techniques can help one develop problem-solving abilities?
• How to prepare for exams effectively: cognitive methods.
• How does working memory overload cause difficulties in the decision-making process?
• Ensemble perception and visual working memory.
• How does our subconscious affect the decision-making process?
• Top-down processes in human brain activity under information overload.
• Explore the correlation of grammar and cognition.
• Semantic memory VS. episodic memory.
• What are the decision-making phases?
• Review the cognitive mechanisms of the Banner Blindness phenomenon.
• Memory loss: possible causes and effects.
• What are the adverse effects of ADHD on one’s mental development?
• How can a person with autism succeed in their career path?
• Assess the role of positive memories in one’s behavior.
• Discuss the ways of developing critical thinking skills in children.
• Provide a typology of speech disorders .

• Write a comparison of unconscious mind vs. subconscious mind.
• What cognitive processes occur during an impulsive purchase?
• Analyze Freud’s topographical model of the mind.
• What are the implications of procedural memory in real life?
• How would our brain operate if there was no cortex?
• Trace brain transformation linked to aging.

🧬 Researchable Topics in Biopsychology

Are you wondering how our bodies influence our emotions and behavior? The field of biopsychology explores these issues. It can answer all of your questions! Here are some research topics in biological psychology:

• Discuss the neurobiological mechanisms of human social behavior.
• Assess the role of neurobiology in learning processes.
• What are the biological rhythms?
• What processes occur in your nervous system when you are happy?
• Study the correlation between the nervous and endocrine systems.
• What is the function of GABA in brain operation?
• Review Rene Descartes’ contribution to biopsychology.
• Explore the concept of the Hawthorne effect.
• Why should immunology be studied alongside neurology?
• Study the effect of endorphin release on a person’s mood.
• Assess the adverse effect of drugs on the neurotransmission process.
• The role of cognitive neuroscience in the development of psychology.
• Explore the psychosomatics of an organism’s general well-being.
• Research the aspects of mathematical modeling of social behavior.
• How do increased serotonin levels influence one’s behavior?
• What mental disorders are related to neurotransmission defects?
• Study the biological processes behind Alzheimer’s disease .
• Analyze the results of the Bobo Doll experiment.
• The division of the nervous system.
• Love : what hormones are responsible for this feeling?
• The importance of the famous case of Phineas Gage for future psychological experiments.
• Why do some people eat chocolate in stressful situations?
• Study the biological explanations of epilepsy .
• The effect of technological development on organic psychology.
• Can neuroscience change people’s perception of morality ?
• What’s the relationship between one’s mental and physical worlds?
• Why do some scholars critique biological psychology as a science?
• What organic processes influence the feeling of parental attachment?
• Four lobes of the brain: what is each one responsible for?
• Explain the fight-or-flight response from the neurological perspective.
• Why do we tremble in scary situations?
• Healthy person vs. one with schizophrenia: differences in nervous system processes.
• Nanomedicine and neuroscience: benefits, limitations, and safety issues.
• What processes are involved in operant conditioning?
• Study the biological processes that occur during a panic attack.
• Evaluate enormous amounts of dopamine as a cause of schizophrenia.
• How does alcohol damage the nervous system?
• Back in history: the most unethical experiments in biological psychology.
• Review BF. Skinner’s contribution to the development of biopsychology.
• What’s the role of the hypothalamus in the nervous system functioning?

💊 Health Psychology Topics to Explore

Did you know that a negative state of mind can provoke some illnesses? Have you heard of using psychological methods to treat diseases? The field of health psychology has much more insights to share with you! Find some helpful ideas for your research paper below:

Get an originally-written paper according to your instructions!

• Study the link between psychology and medicine.
• How can mental conditions impact one’s physical well-being?
• Psychological attributes of people predisposed to cancer.
• How can yoga help to reduce the risk of a heart attack?
• Mental well-being: hedonic and eudaimonic approaches.
• The role of a woman’s mental state during the process of childbirth.
• What are the effects of believing medical conspiracy theories?
• Study the psychological aspects of recovering from a severe disease.
• How not to get preoccupied with anxiety during a global pandemic .
• A flip side of cancer: how to accept a new reflection in the mirror after chemotherapy .
• Discuss the psychological impact of HIV.
• What are the reasons behind emotional eating?
• The effect of a pregnant woman’s mental state on fetus’ development.
• How can a couple overcome a miscarriage on a psychological level?
• Discuss stress as the leading cause of a stroke.
• Can stressful work result in diabetes development?
• What’s the role of psychological support for cancer patients?
• How can psychology boost the process of recovering from an addiction?
• Review the history of health psychology.
• How did health psychology help increase average life expectancy?
• Healthy lifestyle promotion as the primary focus of health psychology.
• Psychological methods to overcome depression in cancer patients .
• How can health psychologists help psychiatric nurses to deal with stress at work ?
• The role of health psychologists for motivating people to make better health choices.

• How can health psychology help in disease prevention?
• Study effective cognitive methods to reduce stress levels .
• What psychological techniques help to maintain a healthy weight?
• Explain the need for health psychologists in the contemporary world.
• Analyze the biosocial model of health psychology.
• How can psychological practices adjust to chronic illnesses?
• What factors may provoke the development of anorexia?
• Study the psychological techniques to quit smoking .
• How does exposure to unrealistic images in advertisements lead to eating disorders?
• The influence of parents’ willingness to have a child on a baby’s physical health.
• What psychological techniques can help reduce pain ?
• Discuss the adverse effects of depression on heart health.
• Research psychological interventions in cancer treatment .
• Study the psychological factors that can lead to chronic bronchitis.
• Assess the role of psychological support in end-of-life care .
• The correlation of sleep quality and general well-being.

🏅 Sports Psychology Research Topics

Sports psychology is a relatively new branch. Yet, it’s becoming increasingly popular. Do you want to explore sports psychology and its role for athletes? How about writing an essay or making a presentation on this topic? We prepared some ideas for you:

• What external factors influence the psychological well-being of athletes?
• Sports activities as a tool for mind refreshment.
• Psychological methods of improving one’s concentration during competition.
• How can mindfulness help athletes?
• Goal-setting as a key to a successful sports career.
• How can you take maximum advantage of sports on a psychological level?
• What characterizes a winner’s state of mind?
• Athletes’ adaptation in society after the end of their sports career.
• How can a mental image of a victory help to become a winner in reality?
• How do injuries harm athletes’ psychological health?
• Evaluate meditation as a way to get ready for a competition.
• What’s the role of sports psychologists in increasing athletes’ motivation?
• Compare extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in sports.
• What are the psychological techniques of effective team building?
• Explain the need for cooperation between psychologists and coaches.
• How can athletes cope with the intense pressure before a competition?
• What characterizes burnout in athletes?
• Present mental exercises to reduce pre-competition anxiety.
• Review the ways of increasing athletes’ self-esteem.
• Evaluate the lack of rest as the key cause of burnout.
• Present the most effective post-competition relaxation techniques.
• How to reduce tension in a team by applying psychological methods.
• Study post-injury rehabilitation process and psychologists’ role in it.
• The application of psychotherapeutic approaches in sport psychology.
• Review the cultural aspects of sport psychology counseling.
• How can one deal with the negative feelings after an injury?
• Evaluate the role of work-life balance for the mental state of sportspeople.
• The International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) and its contribution to global sports.
• Research the history of sports psychology.
• Assess the influence of family problems on athletes’ performance.
• How can you help athletes overcome losses and move forward?
• Coleman Griffith: the first American health psychologist.
• Is a loss the end of one’s sports career or a motivation to improve?
• Compare the work of educational and clinical sports psychologists.
• Participant, interactional, and situational theories and their role in motivation.
• The role of coaches’ mental health literacy in raising professional athletes.
• Review the techniques associated with motor learning.
• How can one cope with insomnia before a competition?
• Study the ways of managing career transitions in athletes.
• What are some ways to enhance athlete engagement in sport psychology practices?

🕵️ Hot Topics in Forensic Psychology to Research

Are you interested in what psychological aspects lie behind crimes? Do you want to explore the connection between the human mind and law? Forensic psychology explores these issues and provides valuable insights. In case you cannot come up with a topic for your forensic psychology research paper, check out these ideas:

• What are the ethical norms in forensic psychology practices?
• How do you deal with controversies in criminal justice?
• Assess bias in forensic psychological expertise in insanity cases.
• What defense mechanisms characterize repeat offenders?
• Describe the use of forensic psychology in the US criminal justice system .
• Unethical decision-making in forensic psychology .
• What are the psychological factors of criminal behavior in juveniles?
• Study the sources of unreliability in forensic psychological evaluations.
• How are psychological explanations of a murderer’s intentions given?
• Give practical solutions to forensic contextual bias.
• Assess the percentage of accurate eyewitness testimony .
• Review the norms of labeling in forensic/correctional psychology .
• Harming someone in self-defense : should the person be sentenced or not?
• What are the main reasons behind evidence falsification ?
• Can defense attorneys detect forensic confirmation bias?
• What are the ways of obtaining informed consent for a custody evaluation?
• Review evidence-based substance abuse treatment .
• How can you use interviews for PTSD assessment?
• What are the peculiarities of counseling victims of crime?
• Study the issue of memory biases in forensic psychology practices.
• What characterizes crimes committed under temporary insanity?
• Research religious views on the death penalty .
• What role does unconscious transference play in crime investigation?
• Describe the link between neuropsychology and forensic psychology.
• Review the guidelines for juvenile offenders’ treatment .
• What challenges of fact misinterpretation do forensic psychologists face?
• Present the professional competencies in forensic psychology .
• What are the psychological consequences of sexual abuse ?
• Describe the principles of death notification procedures.
• Research system variables in eyewitness identification .
• How do you assess the reliability of forensic decisions in criminal court ?
• Evaluate the role of forensic mental health professionals in solving crimes.
• Analysis expert performance applied to forensic psychological assessments.
• What skills are essential for forensic psychologists?
• Compare legal psychology vs. forensic psychology .

• What are the competing ethical paradigms in forensic psychology?
• How can you detect a possible inaccuracy in eyewitness descriptions?
• What is the concept of a “guilty mind” in forensic psychology?
• Research the impact of stress on eyewitnesses’ memory .
• What techniques are used for mild traumatic brain injury assessment?

📊 Psychology Survey Topics for Students

Surveying is one of the most popular activities psychologists perform. If you study psychology, you are likely to have such an assignment. Are you searching for some ideas? Take a look at our psychology survey topics:

• Gender inequality ratio and the level of sexism in your state.
• Percentage ratio between men and women suffering from eating disorders .
• Personal and environmental factors of goal achievement for teenagers.
• Emotional intelligence impact rate on employee performance.
• What percentage of adolescents in your area have ever had suicidal thoughts?
• Social media addiction rates among teenagers in your city.
• Determine the correlation between shared leadership and workgroup efficiency.
• Depression rates among teenagers in the USA.
• Assess the impact of self-confidence on athletes’ performance.
• Levels of drug addiction and mental health disorders comorbidity.
• Is alcohol abuse a cause of anxiety or its result?
• Academic performance levels among children with autism.
• What’s the effect of meditation on anxiety rate?
• Find the correlation rates between obesity and depression.
• To what degree does physical appearance impact teenagers’ self-esteem ?
• Study the connection between mental and physical health.
• Study the rates of domestic violence in the USA.
• What’s the proportion of current and recovered drug addicts in your area?
• The percentage of people with OCD working in the software development industry.
• How does poor quality of sleep affect students’ academic performance?
• Compare stress levels among the graduates of your university.
• Determine the percentage of women who faced workplace discrimination .
• Percentage of the US population whose mental health was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The ratio between men and women suffering from Narcissism in your state.
• Compare the numbers of children and adults with ADHD in your city.
• Analyze the correlation of stress and job performance among Apple employees.
• Compare the motivation rates before and after financial reward among McDonald’s workers.
• How many teenage girls in your city are suffering from an inferiority complex?
• How does job performance depend on rest quality for the workers in the healthcare industry?
• To what extent the teenagers in the US are predisposed to domesticviolence ?
• The rate of children with obesity caused by high stress levels in Canada.
• Study the percentage of Asian women who face racial discrimination in the US .
• Determine the ratio of cancer survivors with mental health disorders.
• What percentage of American teenagers regularly suffer from panic attacks ?
• The rate of children born with autism in Canada during the recent decade.
• Determine the percentage of consumers influenced by a marketing technique of providing coupons: a case study.
• What is the percentage of social media users in Canada experience FOMO?
• The rate of police officers who have bipolar disorder in the US.
• What is the percentage of car crash participants who have PTSD?
• Study the number of primary school teachers suffering from Acute Stress Disorder.

🧪 Experimental Psychology Research Topics

Have you ever heard of Pavlov’s dogs or the Stanford Prison experiment? These are the famous psychological studies that apply theories in practice. As a psychology student, you’ll probably need to analyze the existing experiments or develop your own one. That’s why we prepared some outstanding ideas for you!

• Pavlov’s dogs and the explanation of classical conditioning .
• The Little Albert experiment (1920): can humans be conditioned to enjoy or fear something?
• The fundamental findings of the Milgram experiment.
• M. Seligman’s study of 1965: can helplessness be learned?
• Discuss the unethical side of the Stanford Prison Experiment (1971.)
• Can music help to memorize information?
• The effect of colors used in advertisements on consumers’ buying behavior.
• What can one’s music preferences tell about their personality?
• Can animal-assisted therapy reduce anxiety?
• What’s the impact of sleep deprivation on one’s discipline?
• Why do people watch horror movies?
• Explain the phenomenon known as the “ bystander effect .”
• Can social media exacerbate an inferiority complex?
• Why do some students procrastinate ?
• Review the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment and follow-up studies.
• How does caffeine impact human brain activity?
• Does compensation system increase employees’ performance?
• Does the lack of parental support affect one’s academic performance ?
• Can upbeat music reduce stress levels?
• What do John B. Calhoun’s mouse experiments tell us about overpopulation?
• Does the text color increase readability for people with dyslexia ?
• Discuss the results of the Good Samaritan Experiment (1973.)
• What are the elements of a successful experiment?
• Does dark chocolate boost brain activity?
• Study the reaction of neurotransmitters to stressful situations.
• Matthew Lieberman and his experiments in the field of cognitive psychology.
• Ethical and social norms of conducting a psychological experiment .
• Why do people prefer to remain anonymous while evaluating their supervisors?
• Extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation: which one is more effective?
• Why do people sweat as they get nervous?
• What was discovered as a result of this Stroop test?
• The application of the Bayesian latent variable models for the analysis of experimental psychology data.
• What’s the effect of mood swings on one’s productivity?
• The criticism of the Monster Study (1939): how did it hurt the participants?
• Experimental approaches to study personality psychology .
• Can colors of walls in a room have an effect of calmness or irritation?
• Does overeating before sleep cause nightmares?
• Does alcohol help to overcome depression or exacerbates it?
• Violinist at the Metro Experiment (2007): the fundamental findings.
• To what extent are animal psychology experiments applicable to humans?

✅ How to Write a Research Question in Psychology

A paper writing process should start with forming a research question. This step is essential and quite challenging. That’s why we developed a mini guide for you. Use it to make sure you write an outstanding paper!

First and foremost, let’s explore the key attributes of a strong research question:

• Feasibility : you should be capable of conducting research.
• Clarity: your research question should precisely convey your topic.
• Complexity: make sure the answer will be broader than just “yes” or “no.”
• Relevance : the question should correspond to the assignment format.
• Uniqueness : make sure no similar research has been done already. There is no point in conducting the same study again.

The most effective way to develop a research question is to do it gradually. We suggest to you follow these steps:

• Choose a general topic . Decide what you are passionate about and focus on this area. For example, psychiatry, health psychology issues, etc.
• Do preliminary research . Explore various psychological science journals, books, or other credible sources. Find out what has been already discovered and identify the gaps.
• Come up with a concise topic . Relying on your preliminary investigation, develop a specific research question.
• Evaluate your topic . Make sure your research question corresponds to the characteristics mentioned before. They are feasibility, clarity, complexity, relevance, uniqueness.
• Start your research process . After you developed your psychology topic, move to the next stages. Analyze your sources, write an outline, develop a research proposal, etc. If your research goes in another direction, don’t be afraid to modify your topic.

Thank you for visiting our website! We hope you’ve found an appropriate psychology or psychiatry topic. Good luck with your research, and don’t forget to share this page with your friends!

Further reading:

• 190+ Research Topics on Psychology & Communication
• 430 Philosophy Topics & Questions for Your Essay
• A List of 580 Interesting Research Topics
• A List of 212 Brilliant Research Proposal Topics to Investigate
• 229 Good Dissertation Topics and Thesis Ideas for Ph.D. & Masters
• 280 Good Nursing Research Topics & Questions
• 165 Health-Related Topics & Essay Ideas
• 501 Research Questions & Titles about Science

🤔 Frequently Asked Questions

There is a wide diversity of research methods used by psychologists. However, the most popular ones are case study, observational study, survey, experiment, and content analysis.

In abnormal psychology, the concept of 4 Ds is used to identify the abnormal behavior among patients. The components of 4 Ds are the following: deviance, distress, dysfunction, and danger. They all start with a letter D, hence 4Ds.

Psychiatry is a medical subfield. The experts in this area are capable of a problem statement, medical interventions, and drug prescriptions. In contrast, psychologists are not medical workers, so they don’t have a right to use medicines in their treatment. Their primary counseling tool is talk therapy.

• The Focus of Cross-Cultural Psychology: Verywell Mind
• Need For Perfection Can Present as a Symptom of OCD: Beyond OCD
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Mayo Clinic
• Autism Spectrum Disorder: NIMH
• Schizophrenia: Psychiatry.org
• Research Programs By Condition: Psychiatry: Yale University
• Archives of Psychiatric Nursing: Elsevier
• Evidence for Psychiatric Nursing Practice: Research Gate
• Social Psychology Links by Subtopic: Social Psychology Network
• What is Abnormal Psychology?: Washington State University
• Criminal Justice: Gale
• Developmental Psychology: Frontiers
• Developmental Psychology: American Psychological Association
• Developmental Psychology: Simplypsychology.org
• Cognitive Psychology: Encyclopedia Britannica
• Journal of Applied Sport Psychology: Taylor & Francis Online
• Publications: Center for Sport Psychology: University of North Texas
• Sports Psychology News, Research, and Analysis: The Conversation
• 23 Great Psychology Experiment Ideas to Explore: Verywell Mind
• 7 Famous Psychology Experiments: King University
• How To Write a Good Survey for Psychological Research: Online Psychology Degrees
• How to Write a Research Question: George Mason University
• Forensic Psychology Open Access Journals: Longdom Publishing
• Research in the Forensic Psychology Unit: Goldsmiths University of London
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Case Reports in Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry

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Mental Health Nursing Research Topics: Inspiring Ideas for Students

This article was written in collaboration with Christine T. and ChatGPT, our little helper developed by OpenAI.

Mental health nursing is an essential field that requires ongoing research to improve patient outcomes and enhance the overall quality of care. As a student in this field, you can contribute to this important work by conducting research projects.

One of the biggest challenges you may face when starting a research project is deciding on a topic. This article has compiled a list of relevant and inspiring mental health nursing research topics to help you get started.

Examples of Mental Health Nursing Research Topics

The effectiveness of mindfulness practices on mental health outcomes.

Mindfulness practices, such as meditation and yoga, have become increasingly popular in recent years as a way to reduce stress and improve overall well-being. Research has shown that these practices may also effectively treat mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. As a mental health nursing student, you could investigate the impact of mindfulness practices on mental health outcomes.

• The impact of mindfulness practices on depression symptoms
• The effect of mindfulness on anxiety and stress reduction
• Mindfulness as a tool for coping with chronic pain
• The benefits of mindfulness for people with substance abuse disorders
• Mindfulness-based interventions for PTSD
• The role of mindfulness in promoting better sleep
• Comparing the effectiveness of different types of mindfulness practices on reducing anxiety symptoms
• Exploring the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the benefits of mindfulness meditation
• The impact of mindfulness practices on sleep quality and mental health
• Evaluating the long-term effects of regular mindfulness practices on emotional well-being
• Mindfulness interventions in schools and their effects on student mental health
• Mindfulness and eating disorders: effects on body image and eating behavior
• Mindfulness and anger management
• Mental health and gender inequality
• The effect of mindfulness on attention and focus
• Mindfulness as a strategy to enhance emotional intelligence
• Mindfulness and workplace stress
• Mindfulness and burnout in healthcare professionals
• The impact of mindfulness on cognitive function in older adults
• Mindfulness and self-compassion: effects on self-esteem and self-worth
• Mindfulness as a complement to medication for mental health treatment
• Mindfulness-based interventions for people with schizophrenia
• Mindfulness for children and adolescents with ADHD
• The effect of mindfulness on symptoms of bipolar disorder
• Mindfulness and social anxiety
• Mindfulness and parenting: effects on stress and well-being
• The impact of mindfulness on academic performance
• Mindfulness and addiction recovery: effects on relapse prevention
• Mindfulness and personality disorders
• Mindfulness and body image dissatisfaction
• Mindfulness and chronic illness: effects on quality of life
• Mindfulness for people with borderline personality disorder
• The impact of mindfulness on self-harm and suicidal ideation
• Mindfulness for people with eating disorders in recovery
• Mindfulness and resilience: effects on coping with adversity
• The drug abuse and associated disorders: an overview of the anti-drug policy and the need for policy change
• Mindfulness and self-compassion in cancer patients
• The effect of mindfulness on symptoms of OCD
• Mindfulness-based interventions for people with anxiety disorders
• Mindfulness and creativity: effects on artistic expression and well-being
• Mindfulness for people with chronic fatigue syndrome
• Mindfulness and pain management: effects on chronic pain
• Mindfulness and emotional regulation in people with autism
• Mindfulness for people with borderline intellectual functioning
• The effect of mindfulness on symptoms of postpartum depression
• Mindfulness and social connectedness: effects on loneliness and isolation
• Mindfulness and spirituality: effects on well-being and connection to something larger

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The Role of Nutrition in Mental Health

Research has shown that diet and nutrition can significantly affect mental health outcomes. For example, certain nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids, have been linked to improved mood and cognitive function. As a mental health nursing student, you could explore the impact of nutrition on mental health outcomes and investigate the effectiveness of nutritional interventions in managing mental health conditions.

• The impact of nutrient deficiencies on mental health
• The role of omega-3 fatty acids in brain function and mental health
• The effect of vitamin D on mood and anxiety
• The connection between gut health and mental health
• The influence of caffeine on anxiety and sleep
• The effects of sugar on mental health and cognitive function
• The relationship between gut health, diet, and mood disorders
• Evaluating the effects of probiotics on mental health outcomes
• Impact of vitamin D deficiency on depressive symptoms
• Dietary interventions for managing ADHD symptoms in children
• The link between sugar intake and anxiety: a closer look
• The impact of nutrition on ADHD symptoms
• The role of antioxidants in protecting against oxidative stress and improving mental health
• The effects of probiotics on mental health and mood
• The connection between iron deficiency and depression
• The role of magnesium in anxiety and depression
• The impact of food allergies and intolerances on mental health
• The effect of B vitamins on cognitive function and mental health
• The influence of alcohol on mental health and well-being
• The role of nutrition in the prevention of dementia and cognitive decline
• The effects of caffeine withdrawal on mental health
• The connection between nutrition and schizophrenia symptoms
• The role of amino acids in brain function and mental health
• The effect of carbohydrates on mood and energy levels
• The impact of diet on sleep quality and quantity
• The influence of processed foods on mental health
• The role of nutrition in the treatment of eating disorders
• The connection between nutrition and bipolar disorder symptoms
• The effect of zinc on mental health and cognitive function
• The impact of phytochemicals on brain health and mental well-being
• The role of nutrition in the prevention and treatment of anxiety disorders
• The effects of dehydration on cognitive function and mood
• The connection between nutrition and ADHD medication effectiveness
• The role of nutrition in the prevention and treatment of depression
• The effect of amino acid supplementation on depression and anxiety
• The impact of low-carbohydrate diets on mental health and mood
• The influence of social and cultural factors on nutrition and mental health
• The role of nutrition in the management of stress and cortisol levels
• The effects of specific diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, on mental health outcomes
• The connection between nutrition and substance abuse recovery
• The role of nutrition in the prevention and treatment of postpartum depression
• The effect of omega-3 supplementation on cognitive function and memory
• The impact of vegetarian and vegan diets on mental health and well-being
• The connection between nutrition and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
• The role of nutrition in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health

Social media has become integral to our daily lives, but research has also shown that it can hurt mental health. For example, excessive social media use has been linked to increased feelings of anxiety and depression. As a mental health nursing student, you could investigate the impact of social media on mental health outcomes and explore the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing the harmful effects of social media.

• The connection between social media use and depression
• The impact of social media on body image and self-esteem
• The effect of social media on sleep quality and quantity
• The relationship between social media addiction and mental health
• The influence of cyberbullying on mental health outcomes
• The role of social media in the development of anxiety disorders
• The effects of social media on interpersonal relationships and social skills
• The connection between social media use and suicide risk
• The correlation between social media usage patterns and self-esteem levels
• Effects of social media detox on mental health outcomes
• Evaluating the role of social media in the rise of body dysmorphia among teenagers
• The relationship between cyberbullying on social media platforms and depression
• Influence of social comparison on social media and its impact on mental health
• The impact of social media on attention span and focus
• The effect of social media on academic performance and stress
• The relationship between social media use and eating disorders
• The influence of social media on body dysmorphia
• The role of social media in the development of addiction and substance abuse disorders
• The effects of social media on the brain and cognition
• The connection between social media use and stress levels
• The impact of social media on political beliefs and mental health outcomes
• The effect of social media on self-compassion and self-care
• The relationship between social media use and personality disorders
• The influence of social media on social comparison and envy
• The role of social media in the development of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• The effects of social media on creativity and mental health
• The connection between social media use and addiction to video games
• The impact of social media on attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• The effect of social media on decision-making and impulsivity
• The relationship between social media use and loneliness
• The influence of social media on phobias and anxieties
• The role of social media in the development of trauma-related disorders
• The effects of social media on emotional regulation and mental health
• The connection between social media use and paranoia
• The impact of social media on cultural and societal attitudes toward mental health
• The effect of social media on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• The relationship between social media use and narcissistic personality disorder
• The influence of social media on obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors
• The role of social media in the development of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders
• The effects of social media on body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs)
• The connection between social media use and self-harm behaviors
• The impact of social media on emotional contagion and mental health outcomes
• The effect of social media on emotional intelligence and empathy
• The relationship between social media use and phubbing (phone snubbing)
• The influence of social media on identity formation and mental health

The Effectiveness of Art Therapy in Treating Mental Health Conditions

Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses creative expression to improve mental health outcomes. As a mental health nursing student, you could investigate the effectiveness of art therapy in treating mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

• The role of art therapy in treating anxiety disorders
• The effectiveness of art therapy in managing depression
• Art therapy as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Art therapy for improving social skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorders
• The anatomy and physiology of anxiety disorder: hereditary factors and statistical facts
• The benefits of art therapy in treating addiction and substance abuse disorders
• Art therapy for promoting self-expression and emotional regulation in children with ADHD
• Art therapy as a tool for managing PTSD symptoms in veterans
• The role of music therapy in improving mental health outcomes in dementia patients
• Exploring the benefits of dance therapy for individuals with mood disorders
• Evaluating the therapeutic effects of visual arts on children with behavioral disorders
• The impact of group art therapy sessions on building social skills in autistic individuals
• The effectiveness of art therapy in managing chronic pain and illness-related stress
• Art therapy for enhancing communication and reducing aggression in individuals with dementia
• The benefits of art therapy in managing symptoms of schizophrenia
• Art therapy as a treatment for borderline personality disorder
• The effectiveness of art therapy in improving body image and self-esteem
• The delicate dance: balancing art and science in the nursing profession
• Art therapy for reducing symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• The role of art therapy in managing anger and aggression in individuals with intellectual disabilities
• Art therapy for promoting mindfulness and reducing stress in cancer patients
• The effectiveness of art therapy in managing symptoms of eating disorders
• Art therapy for improving cognitive functioning in individuals with traumatic brain injuries
• The benefits of art therapy in reducing symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome
• Art therapy as a treatment for individuals with chronic pain and fibromyalgia
• The effectiveness of art therapy in improving sleep quality and quantity
• Art therapy for promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety in individuals with hypertension
• The role of art therapy in treating individuals with dissociative identity disorder
• Art therapy for enhancing creativity and promoting personal growth
• The benefits of art therapy in improving the overall quality of life in individuals with mental health conditions
• Art therapy as a treatment for individuals with multiple sclerosis
• The effectiveness of art therapy in managing symptoms of bipolar disorder
• Art therapy for improving social functioning and reducing isolation in individuals with schizophrenia
• The role of art therapy in promoting spirituality and reducing existential anxiety
• Nursing: a beautiful blend of art and science
• Art therapy for promoting self-compassion and self-care in individuals with chronic illness
• The benefits of art therapy in managing symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Art therapy as a treatment for individuals with personality disorders
• The effectiveness of art therapy in reducing symptoms of agoraphobia
• Art therapy for promoting emotional resilience and coping skills in individuals with chronic pain
• The role of art therapy in managing symptoms of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
• Art therapy for improving communication and reducing aggression in individuals with traumatic brain injuries
• The benefits of art therapy in promoting self-awareness and personal insight
• Art therapy as a treatment for individuals with gender identity disorder
• The effectiveness of art therapy in reducing symptoms of borderline intellectual functioning
• Art therapy for promoting emotional expression and reducing anxiety in individuals with speech disorders
• The role of art therapy in promoting cognitive flexibility and problem-solving skills
• Art therapy for improving body awareness and reducing symptoms of somatic disorders

The Impact of Trauma on Mental Health Outcomes

Trauma can profoundly impact mental health outcomes, and understanding the relationship between trauma and mental illness is essential for effective care. As a mental health nursing student, you could investigate the impact of trauma on mental health outcomes and explore the effectiveness of interventions to reduce the negative effects of trauma.

• The effects of childhood trauma on mental health in adulthood
• The impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on mental health outcomes
• The role of resilience in mitigating the effects of trauma on mental health
• The prevalence of trauma in marginalized populations and its impact on mental health
• The effects of trauma on brain development and mental health outcomes
• The impact of trauma on the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• The relationship between trauma and substance use disorders
• The role of social support in mitigating the effects of trauma on mental health
• The effects of trauma on attachment and interpersonal relationships
• The impact of trauma on physical health outcomes
• Exploring the physiological changes in the brain after experiencing trauma
• Evaluating the effectiveness of EMDR therapy for trauma survivors
• The long-term mental health outcomes of childhood trauma
• Comparing the effects of single incident trauma vs. prolonged trauma on mental health
• The role of support groups in aiding trauma recovery
• The effects of trauma on cognitive functioning and memory
• The relationship between trauma and depression
• The impact of trauma on anxiety and anxiety disorders
• The role of trauma in the development of personality disorders
• The effects of trauma on sleep quality and quantity
• The relationship between trauma and self-esteem
• The impact of trauma on emotion regulation and impulsivity
• The effects of trauma on suicidal ideation and behavior
• The role of trauma in the development of dissociative disorders
• The impact of trauma on parenting and child-rearing practices
• The effects of trauma on sexual health and relationships
• The relationship between trauma and eating disorders
• The impact of trauma on social functioning and integration
• The effects of trauma on work productivity and employment outcomes
• The role of cultural factors in the experience and impact of trauma on mental health
• The effects of trauma on spirituality and faith-based coping mechanisms
• The relationship between trauma and anger management
• The impact of trauma on sexual and gender identity development
• The effects of trauma on executive functioning and decision-making abilities
• The role of trauma in the development of the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• The impact of trauma on aging and geriatric mental health
• The effects of trauma on identity development and self-concept
• The relationship between trauma and borderline personality disorder (BPD)
• The impact of trauma on coping strategies and resilience
• The effects of trauma on healthcare utilization and healthcare outcomes
• The role of trauma in the development of anxiety and stress-related disorders
• The impact of trauma on social and emotional intelligence
• The effects of trauma on emotion recognition and empathy
• The relationship between trauma and bipolar disorder
• The role of trauma in the development of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders

The Interdisciplinary Approach in Mental Health Nursing

Mental health nursing is not an isolated field. It thrives on interdisciplinary collaboration, where professionals from various disciplines come together to offer holistic care to patients. As the understanding of mental health broadens, it’s imperative for nursing students to recognize the value of interdisciplinary approaches in optimizing patient outcomes.

Benefits of an Interdisciplinary Approach:

• Holistic Care

Drawing expertise from fields like psychology, nutrition, social work, and even art therapy ensures a well-rounded approach to patient care.

• Enhanced Patient Outcomes

Collaborative efforts often lead to better patient outcomes as they address various facets of a patient’s well-being.

• Continued Learning

Interacting with professionals from diverse backgrounds provides an excellent opportunity for learning and professional growth.

Key Areas of Collaboration:

• Psychology and Psychiatry

Understanding the psychological underpinnings of mental disorders and collaborating with psychologists and psychiatrists is fundamental. It ensures that therapeutic interventions are complemented by appropriate medical treatments.

• Social Work

Social workers play a crucial role in patient rehabilitation, ensuring they have the necessary support systems in place, be it family counseling or community reintegration.

As the link between nutrition and mental health becomes increasingly evident, collaboration with nutritionists can guide dietary interventions to complement therapeutic strategies.

• Alternative Therapies

Fields like art therapy, music therapy, and even physical therapy offer alternative avenues for patient recovery. Understanding and collaborating with professionals from these fields can enhance patient care.

For nursing students, embracing the interdisciplinary approach is not just about improving patient care but also about enhancing their professional expertise. By understanding the broader landscape of mental health care, students prepare themselves for the diverse challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in their careers.

Choosing a research topic can be challenging, but with the right inspiration and guidance, you can find a relevant and inspiring topic with the right inspiration and guidance. These mental health nursing research topic ideas are just a starting point – there are countless other areas of research in this field that you can explore. With dedication and hard work, you can make a valuable contribution to the field of mental health nursing and help improve the lives of those struggling with mental illness.

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1. Top Nursing Argumentative Essay Topics: Engage in Thought-Provoking Debates 2. Top Nursing Topics for Discussion: Engaging Conversations for Healthcare Professionals 3. Key EBP Nursing Topics: Enhancing Patient Results through Evidence-Based Practice 4. Top Nursing Research Topics for Students and Professionals 5. Nursing Debate Topics: The Importance of Discussing and Debating Nursing Issues 6. Mental Health – Health Topics | Healthy Schools 7. NIMH » Health Topics 8. Mental Health Topics and Resources for Patients and Families 9. Exploring Controversial Issues in Nursing: Key Topics and Examples 10. Pediatric Nursing Research Topics for Students: A Comprehensive Guide

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AI improves accuracy of skin cancer diagnoses in Stanford Medicine-led study

Artificial intelligence algorithms powered by deep learning improve skin cancer diagnostic accuracy for doctors, nurse practitioners and medical students in a study led by the Stanford Center for Digital Health.

April 11, 2024 - By Krista Conger

Artificial intelligence helped clinicians diagnose skin cancer more accurately, a Stanford Medicine-led study found. Chanelle Malambo/peopleimages.com   -  stock.adobe.com

A new study led by researchers at Stanford Medicine finds that computer algorithms powered by artificial intelligence based on deep learning can help health care practitioners to diagnose skin cancers more accurately. Even dermatologists benefit from AI guidance, although their improvement is less than that seen for non-dermatologists.

“This is a clear demonstration of how AI can be used in collaboration with a physician to improve patient care,” said professor of dermatology and of epidemiology Eleni Linos , MD. Linos leads the Stanford Center for Digital Health , which was launched to tackle some of the most pressing research questions at the intersection of technology and health by promoting collaboration between engineering, computer science, medicine and the humanities.

Linos, associate dean of research and the Ben Davenport and Lucy Zhang Professor in Medicine, is the senior author of the study , which was published on April 9 in npj Digital Medicine . Postdoctoral scholar Jiyeong Kim , PhD, and visiting researcher Isabelle Krakowski, MD, are the lead authors of the research.

“Previous studies have focused on how AI performs when compared with physicians,” Kim said. “Our study compared physicians working without AI assistance with physicians using AI when diagnosing skin cancers.”

AI algorithms are increasingly used in clinical settings, including dermatology. They are created by feeding a computer hundreds of thousands or even millions of images of skin conditions labeled with information such as diagnosis and patient outcome. Through a process called deep learning, the computer eventually learns to recognize telltale patterns in the images that correlate with specific skin diseases including cancers. Once trained, an algorithm written by the computer can be used to suggest possible diagnoses based on an image of a patient’s skin that it has not been exposed to.

Eleni Linos

These diagnostic algorithms aren’t used alone, however. They are overseen by clinicians who also assess the patient, come to their own conclusions about a patient’s diagnosis and choose whether to accept the algorithm’s suggestion.

An accuracy boost

Kim and Linos’ team reviewed 12 studies detailing more than 67,000 evaluations of potential skin cancers by a variety of practitioners with and without AI assistance. They found that, overall, health care practitioners working without aid from artificial intelligence were able to accurately diagnose about 75% of people with skin cancer — a statistical measurement known as sensitivity. Conversely, the workers correctly diagnosed about 81.5% of people with cancer-like skin conditions but who did not have cancer — a companion measurement known as specificity.

Health care practitiones who used AI to guide their diagnoses did better. Their diagnoses were about 81.1% sensitive and 86.1% specific. The improvement may seem small, but the differences are critical for people told they don’t have cancer, but do, or for those who do have cancer but are told they are healthy.

When the researchers split the health care practitioners by specialty or level of training, they saw that medical students, nurse practitioners and primary care doctors benefited the most from AI guidance — improving on average about 13 points in sensitivity and 11 points in specificity. Dermatologists and dermatology residents performed better overall, but the sensitivity and specificity of their diagnoses also improved with AI.

“I was surprised to see everyone’s accuracy improve with AI assistance, regardless of their level of training,” Linos said. “This makes me very optimistic about the use of AI in clinical care. Soon our patients will not just be accepting, but expecting, that we use AI assistance to provide them with the best possible care.”

Jiyeong Kim

Researchers at the Stanford Center for Digital Health, including Kim, are interested in learning more about the promise of and barriers to integrating AI-based tools into health care. In particular, they are planning to investigate how the perceptions and attitudes of physicians and patients to AI will influence its implementation.

“We want to better understand how humans interact with and use AI to make clinical decisions,” Kim said. 

Previous studies have indicated that a clinician’s degree of confidence in their own clinical decision, the degree of confidence of the AI, and whether the clinician and the AI agree on the diagnosis all influence whether the clinician incorporates the algorithm’s advice when making clinical decisions for a patient.

Medical specialties like dermatology and radiology, which rely heavily on images — visual inspection, pictures, X-rays, MRIs and CT scans, among others — for diagnoses are low-hanging fruit for computers that can pick out levels of detail beyond what a human eye (or brain) can reasonably process. But even other more symptom-based specialties, or prediction modeling, are likely to benefit from AI intervention, Linos and Kim feel. And it’s not just patients who stand to benefit.

“If this technology can simultaneously improve a doctor’s diagnostic accuracy and save them time, it’s really a win-win. In addition to helping patients, it could help reduce physician burnout and improve the human interpersonal relationships between doctors and their patients,” Linos said. “I have no doubt that AI assistance will eventually be used in all medical specialties. The key question is how we make sure it is used in a way that helps all patients regardless of their background and simultaneously supports physician well-being.”

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute, the Karolinska University Hospital and the University of Nicosia contributed to the research.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (grants K24AR075060 and R01AR082109), Radiumhemmet Research, the Swedish Cancer Society and the Swedish Research Council.

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About Stanford Medicine

Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. Together, they harness the full potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education and clinical care for patients. For more information, please visit med.stanford.edu .

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UB medical students aim to increase health care knowledge of female genital cutting

campus news

By ELLEN GOLDBAUM

Published April 11, 2024

For more than a decade, a medical student group at UB has played a critical role documenting medical evidence of torture in immigrants seeking asylum. Knowledge of the work done by UB’s Human Rights Initiative (HRI) contributes to Buffalo’s reputation as a city where individuals persecuted in their home countries can access the medical documentation they need to pursue asylum in the U.S.

Now these students at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB are working to educate providers — and their fellow classmates — about the medical and psychological consequences of female genital cutting (FGC) among those seeking asylum in Buffalo.

The effort comes at a time when an increase in immigration means that more physicians in the U.S. will encounter FGC, but none of the health care professions cover it in their training.

“Everyone lacks knowledge in this topic,” says Alyssa D. Reese of HRI, who will graduate with her MD from the Jacobs School later this month. “But as we see more refugees, we are going to see a lot more of it, especially people in primary care or those delivering babies.”

And if a provider hasn’t been educated about FGC, encountering their first patient with it could be overwhelming. “It could lead to a really poor therapeutic relationship,” she says.

Since her first year in medical school, Reese has been a member of HRI, working to improve knowledge of FGC. HRI has held conferences and grand rounds on FGC.

Reese will present her FGC projects, including a systematic review of health care provider knowledge of FGC and HRI’s experience with gynecological exams for these clients, at the Physicians for Human Rights National Student Program conference April 12 in Phoenix. She is also developing a handbook about FGC for providers and medical students.

Taboo topic

“We talk about domestic violence and physical abuse, but this is a taboo topic,” says Reese, who conducted the research for her honors thesis.

“As medical students, we are responsible for learning about taboo topics so that we can talk about them in a trauma-informed way and provide trauma-informed care to our patients.”

FGC has been illegal in the U.S. since 1996 and is internationally condemned as a human rights violation by the World Health Organization and the United Nations. Reese knew about it from global advocacy classes she took as an undergraduate at UB.

“But it wasn’t until I heard these stories from the women who experienced it, where it becomes an emotional, raw connection with them,” she says. “From a medical point of view, it’s obviously traumatic and can interfere with intercourse and childbirth, but then you hear about the psychological impacts. Every part of their life can be impacted.” 

More than 200 million women

FGC involves the forced partial or total removal of the external genitals of girls and women for religious, cultural or other nonmedical reasons.

The procedure is done throughout the world, but primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Asia. It has been performed on more than 200 million women living today; it is a leading cause of death among girls and women in those regions.

Performed on females as young as infants and up through the teen years or later by non-medical individuals — often close female relatives — without anesthesia, FGC is seen in the cultures that practice it as a kind of “women’s rite.” It is based on false beliefs that the procedure will increase the male partner’s pleasure, make the girl more desirable for marriage, increase hygiene, preserve virginity or promote fertility.

There is anecdotal evidence that some American girls whose parents are from cultures that practice FGC may be forced to undergo the procedure when they travel to those regions on family vacations.

Acute medical consequences include severe pain, bleeding and loss of consciousness; chronic consequences include urinary tract infections, pain with sex, inability to have intercourse, infertility, pain during menses, clitoral neuroma and abnormal growth of neural and other tissue, in addition to obstetric complications. And because FGC is typically done in non-sterile conditions, there is the risk of serious, even life-threatening infection.

In some instances, the physical condition can be surgically repaired but the procedure can also cause lifelong psychological consequences, from depression to anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Affidavits for asylum seekers

HRI collaborates with local groups like Journey’s End Refugee Services, Jericho Road Community Health Center, VIVE and the Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project.

Since 2014, HRI has completed over 250 affidavits based on forensic evaluations for asylum seekers. It began performing gynecological forensic evaluations for survivors of FGC in 2017 and since then has evaluated 15 women who have undergone FGC.

Before meeting with clients, students must attend a scribe training session. They learn about practicing cultural humility when talking to these individuals and how to use trauma-informed language, care and education with them. They learn how to work effectively with an interpreter and that the client may be shackled or come with a guard if they are being held in a detention center.

During client evaluations, under the supervision of UB and Western New York physician volunteers, students act as medical scribes and help write the affidavits that are presented in court.

“These affidavits really do make a difference to our clients,” says Adela Smehlik, a Buffalo-based immigration attorney who addressed the students during a recent HRI conference. “I want you to know how amazing HRI is and how invaluable the group is to the work that we do.”

Once the lawyer requests a forensic evaluation, the client is scheduled for a psychological, gynecologic and/or physical exam performed by one or two clinicians and documented by the medical students. The students write the affidavit for the court, including the chronology of the client’s story, clinical presentation and diagnoses. Clinicians may then be called as an expert witness to testify.

The affidavits that HRI prepares for women who have undergone FGC greatly increase their prospects for asylum. 

Witnessing resilience

The HRI students and physicians say it can be hard to communicate how rewarding it is to engage in this work, which can improve the life of someone who has gone through unimaginable pain and despair. 

“The clients make an imprint on you, not because of the violence they endured but because of their resilience,” says Kim Griswold, HRI founder, faculty adviser and professor emerita of family medicine and psychiatry in the Jacobs School.

Because they must remain impartial, neither the physicians nor the students can stay in touch with clients once their case has gone to court. But the students say the power of bearing witness to people who have lived through such extraordinary difficulties and can now begin to heal is, in many ways, a life-changing experience. Some say it was among the most meaningful experiences they’ve had in medical school.

“I have grown so much as a future physician talking to these people,” Reese says. “They’re survivors of torture. I am so grateful to hear their stories of resilience. Witnessing their resilience gives me resilience.”

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Solving women’s health issues through engineering focus of course

Women’s health through the lifespan has been getting a new focus in recent years from the local to the federal level, with President Joe Biden recently launching initiatives to boost federally funded research in this long-overlooked area. That focus is also active in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, where a new Department of Biomedical Engineering elective course is filled with students interested in how they can use engineering to solve problems in women’s health. 

The “Engineering for Women’s Health” course (BME 4780/5780), available to undergraduate and graduate students, is taught by Michelle Oyen, an associate professor of biomedical engineering and director of the Center for Women’s Health Engineering. Initially, Oyen offered 16 seats in the course, but demand quickly led her to increase the number of students to 48. 

The course includes lectures on women’s reproductive anatomy and physiology, guest speakers from FemTech (technology focused on women’s health) companies and startups, research scientists from the School of Medicine, case studies and panel discussions. 

“When we pull in the engineers from these startup companies, students can talk to the people who work in real jobs in the field,” Oyen said. “The FemTech sector has a lot of startups in women’s health, which is a trillion-dollar market. There are a lot of opportunities for young engineers to work in this space.” 

One class meeting recently featured Christine O’Brien, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering and co-founder and chief scientific officer of Armor Medical Inc., and Kelsey Mayo, co-founder and CEO of Armor Medical. O’Brien and Mayo presented students with their investor pitch and details about how the company got started. They also shared information about their device, a wrist-worn early monitoring system for obstetric hemorrhage, severe blood loss that occurs in 5% of all births and is 90% preventable if detected and treated early. 

Mayo, who survived hemorrhage, told students the company is her “passion project” and encouraged them to find their own. 

“Your day job should be where your passion meets the world’s needs,” she said. “That’s a cool thing for biomedical engineers to consider.” 

Oyen said focusing on the FemTech sector is important for students’ education and gives them an idea of what they can do after they graduate. 

“Part of what has happened over the past decade is shining a light on the fact that there are all these issues that were once only whispered about by women and not brought out into the open,” Oyen said. “People have now realized this is really important because there are unmet needs in health care, which has huge implications. The two most common surgeries for women are a C-section and a hysterectomy. Half of women have a hysterectomy by age 65, which is huge.” 

In the course, students are completing group projects to address needs in women’s health, including menopause, osteoporosis, hip fractures and lack of muscle mass. 

Annika Avula, a dual-degree student earning a bachelor’s and a master’s in biomedical engineering, said she wanted to take this course after taking O’Brien’s course “Quantitative Physiology II” (BME 301B) last fall.

“It really opened so many people’s eyes to things that can be done for women’s health,” Avula said. “This course has introduced me to a new way of thinking. I’m more interested in problems and more called to ask questions.” 

Ella Hanson, a senior earning a bachelor’s and a master’s in biomedical engineering, said she took the course because of her interest in women’s health problems. 

“Dr. Oyen and Dr. O’Brien are addressing the huge gap in BME in the women’s health field,” Hanson said. “We are learning that there are more opportunities out there in engineering beyond orthopedics and other biomedical problems.”

Avula’s group project is looking at the effects of menopause, and Hanson’s group project is looking at endometriosis, a chronic disease that affects 11% of women of reproductive age in the U.S. and for which there is no cure. 

Oyen said that while it took her some time to get comfortable using words about women’s health in front of audiences, her students are open to talking about women’s health issues and using the vocabulary, which she finds encouraging for future generations. 

“I realized that I’m not going to be the one to change the world, but I’m going to teach the ones who will,” Oyen said. 

Originally published on the McKelvey School of Engineering website

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Psychiatry training for medical students: A global perspective and implications for India’s competency-based medical education curriculum

Snehil gupta.

Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India

Vikas Menon

1 Department of Psychiatry, Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry, India

Competency-based medical education curriculum (CBME) has received traction worldwide. However, its adoption and implementation have significantly varied across the globe. The National Medical Commission, India (2019) has adopted CBME to improve the quality and content of training of medical students. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has spawned several challenges implementing the CBME. Therefore, there is a need to reflect on using novel teaching and assessment methods to enrich medical and psychiatric training. In this paper, we aimed to study global trends and characteristics of competency-based psychiatry training programs and how these experiences can be utilized to overcome challenges and facilitate the implementation of CBME in Psychiatry in the Indian context. A literature search was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar databases. The findings are presented narratively. Psychiatry training for medical students greatly vary across the globe. High-income countries mainly have implemented CBME and have incorporated psychiatry training during the foundation/pre-clerkship period itself. There is more reliance on skill development and flexible and learning-based training vs. time-based training. Various enrichment activities have been incorporated into the medical curriculum to promote and strengthen psychiatry training for medical students, particularly in developed nations, which have yielded positive results. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the medical student’s training, it has reiterated the significance of skill-based education and opened novel avenues for implementing the CBME.Medical educationists need to adapt themselves to provide CBME to the students. Making structural, curricular changes, orienting teachers, and students about the CBME, mentoring teachers, adopting novel training and assessment methods, utilizing enrichment activities, collaborating with educational institutions and technology providers, periodically evaluating the implementation of the CBME, and making appropriate course corrections are essential. In addition, there is a need to address structural barriers, such as lack of workforce, for better realization of the CBME objectives.eriodically evaluating the implementation of the CBME, and making appropriate course corrections are essential. Additionally, there is a need to address structural barriers, such as lack of workforce, for better realization of the CBME objectives.

INTRODUCTION

Medical education has undergone significant transformation over the years across the world. There has been traction towards competency-based medical education (CBME). Although high-income countries (HICs), such as United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, etc., have been practicing it for two to three decades, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as India, China, Turkey, etc., have also acknowledged and variably adopted it in their medical curriculum.[ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ] CBME works under the framework of an integrative model of teaching, student-driven learning, and skill- or competency-based (vs time-limited) learning and assessment.[ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]

The key attributes of CBME are producing medical undergraduates (henceforth medical students) who are skilled in providing holistic care to the patients (based on the needs of the society) that are culturally sensitive. Furthermore, it emphasizes value-based training and promotes attitude, ethics, and communication (AETCOM) skills while delivering clinical services to society.[ 6 , 9 , 10 ] Also, novel assessment methods (both formative and summative), including entrustable professional activities (EPAs) and training of the teachers, are also essential components of CBME.[ 11 , 12 , 13 ]

Following global trends, the National Medical Commission (NMC) of India launched CBME in 2019 to enable Indian medical graduates provide preventive, promotive, curative, palliative, and holistic health care with compassion and excellence.[ 6 ]

Globally, though CBME is increasingly being adopted to enhance the training and quality of medical students, its implementation has been marred by several challenges, particularly in resource-poor countries (LMICs). Furthermore, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has also spawned several challenges (for medical educationists, teachers, and students) in realizing the CBME. Simultaneously, it has emphasized the significance of CBME in the current scenario and how novel teaching and assessment methods can be utilized to enrich medical training.[ 14 , 15 , 16 ]

The importance of psychiatry training, including acquiring these skills to better deal with the patients’ psychosocial aspects and develop into better professionals, has been increasingly recognized by the administration or medical educationists throughout the world.[ 6 , 7 , 9 , 17 ] Various attempts have been made to improve the psychiatry training of medical students through CBME. It includes increasing the duration of training in psychiatry, integrating it with other disciplines, early exposure of students to the concepts and clinical utility of psychiatry, and organizing various enrichment activities with positive outcomes.[ 5 , 10 , 18 , 19 ] For instance, under NMC 2019, topics related to psychiatry are covered under 19 topics and 117 competencies. The duration of psychiatry training has been increased to 40 hours of lectures, 4 weeks of clinical rotation, and 2 weeks of mandatory internship. Despite the above positive changes in psychiatry training, psychiatry is still not the main subject—instead considered a sub-specialty under general medicine.[ 8 ]

Quality training in psychiatry can facilitate medical students in achieving goals and objectives of CBME (as envisaged in various medical curriculum frameworks such as NMC 2019). For example, the competencies learned via CBME facilitate holistic care to patients of any discipline, particularly while dealing with chronic medical illnesses, which can be better learned with quality training in psychiatry. Furthermore, behavioral sciences’ integration (vertical and horizontal) with other disciplines can facilitate the students’ learning, a practice commonly followed in HICs.[ 19 , 20 ] Similarly, early clinical exposure to psychiatry can help students get oriented to it and learn essential competencies at the earlier stages of their education that could be practiced throughout the undergraduate program.

Despite substantial literature on the area of psychiatry training in medical education, it has not been systematically reviewed. Such a review would provide valuable insights into global patterns of psychiatry training under the undergraduate medical curriculum, including various enrichment programs or activities, challenges, and opportunities in implementing CBME, particularly in a LMIC like India. The last such review was done more than a decade ago.[ 21 ] Since then, much has changed; this warrants a reevaluation to identify current global best practices of teaching–learning (T-L) approaches and curriculum delivery. Challenges to T-L activities posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic provide additional context to this effort. This paper reviews global trends in psychiatry training, including various enrichment activities, their strengths and weaknesses, and how these experiences can be utilized in implementing CBME in psychiatry in the Indian context.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A literature review was conducted by going through PubMed and Google Scholar databases with the key terms “medical education”, “medical curriculum”, “CBME”, “undergraduate”, “medical student” (for medical education) and “psychiatry training”, “teaching”, “enrichment program”, “curriculum” (for psychiatry training) [ Supplementary File 1 ]. Bibliographical and grey literature searches were also performed to obtain the medical curriculum and psychiatry training curricula, including various enrichment activities in psychiatry across the globe. An attempt was made to provide data from at least one country of different WHO regions, including obtaining data from the prestigious universities of that country by visiting their websites.[ 22 ] Findings have been categorized region-wise and discussed in line with the World Bank’s income group.[ 23 ] Since the focus of the current review is on undergraduates (medical student henceforth) psychiatry training, literature solely focusing on postgraduate psychiatry training or residency or fellowship programs was excluded. The findings have been described narratively.

Concept of CBME, its history, and the context of its evolution

Competency refers to the ability to do something successfully and effectively. The aim of imparting medical education is to make medical graduates skilled enough to effectively cater to society’s needs. However, traditional medical undergraduate (UG) teaching was geared towards knowledge acquisition and had a time-based learning approach; furthermore, effective assessment tools to measure the competencies of the medical students were lacking. In contrast, CBME emphasizes a skill-based and learner-centric approach and includes provisions for adequate assessment of the competencies, including workplace-based assessment.[ 24 ]

Globally, CBME programs have been implemented in a few developed nations earlier than India. For instance, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) of United States, in 2001, emphasized the educational outcomes in terms of competencies to be achieved during the medical course. Furthermore, through the Milestones Project of 2007, various “milestones” were identified along the way to becoming a trained doctor, and ways of assessing those competencies were also laid down. This further strengthened CBME in the United States. Likewise, the “Tomorrow’s Doctors” framework of General Medical Council (United Kingdom) in 1993 defined outcomes and standards of graduate medical education. Similarly, nearly three decades ago, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada outlined the CanMEDs framework to implement CBME.[ 25 ]

In India, the forerunners of CBME can be traced to the Graduate Medical Education Regulations (GMER), 1997 of the erstwhile Medical Council of India (MCI). This document envisioned CBME; however, competence was mentioned under institutional goals and not defined. Subsequently, the Vision 2015 Document, launched in 2011, emphasized competency as a desirable outcome of Indian medical graduate training so that graduates could effectively meet the health care needs of the society they serves. However, the assessment part was overlooked in this guiding document.[ 25 ]

Subsequently, in the GMER 2012, CBME was expounded in a more detailed manner and various subject-wise competencies were outlined; however, the alignment of the assessment methods with these competencies remained elusive. Following several rounds of discussions and reviews, under the newly formed NMC, CBME was formally introduced in the country in August 2019. Notably, various T-L methods have been described in greater detail here, including EPAs for assessment and the role of faculty development in the implementation of CBME. The document recognizes the role of psychiatry training of UGs in realizing the goals of CBME, especially the learning of soft professional skills described in the AETCOM module.[ 24 , 25 ]

The essence of CBME

CBME aims at imparting knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes (KSVA) among medical students. The key areas of learning involve patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, systems-based practice, interpersonal and communication skills, and professionalism.[ 25 , 26 ] It describes five key qualities of an Indian medical graduate: clinician, leader and team member, communicator, lifelong learner, and professional.[ 10 , 27 ]

Furthermore, CBME emphasizes skill acquisition and a milestone-based assessment as essential components of it. The latter is realized through various EPAs representing discrete units of clinical work that can be entrusted to a medical trainee with decreasing intensity of supervision. It involves the Knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to carry out the respective clinical work.[ 26 ] In psychiatry, one of the EPAs could be diagnosing bipolar affective disorder in a patient, differentiating it from other possible diagnoses (e.g., schizoaffective disorders and borderline personality disorders), psychoeducation of family members about the illness, pre-lithium workup, and relapse prevention.

Furthermore, milestone-based EPAs have been practiced under the CBME curricula of various international medical education systems (ACGME, US; CanMEDS framework; Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP)). Specifically, under the milestone project in the US, psychiatry-specific EPAs such as establishing therapeutic alliances in challenging situations, exploring, and dealing with suicidality, and handling ethical problems in complex clinical situations have been described.

National medical commissions’ efforts to improve psychiatry training under CBME

As highlighted above, the NMC (India) has attempted to implement competency-based medical education in psychiatry; a total of 19 topics and 117 competencies related to mental health have been listed in the curriculum document. Notably, the significance of learning skills related to patient–doctor relationships, holistic patient care, and ethical and legal mindsets while caring for persons with mental illness have been acknowledged.[ 28 ] Integrating psychiatry with various disciplines (vertical or horizontal integration) has been a welcome move, particularly highlighting the significance of psychiatry in general health care and reducing the stigma attached to psychiatry. Furthermore, patient–doctor relationships and common psychiatric disorders have been identified as core competencies that a medical student should be able to know or demonstrate under different clinical circumstances. Additionally, EPAs have been designed for various competencies with varying levels of knowledge or skill acquisition: K – Knows, KH - Knows how, SH - Shows how, and P - performs independently. Interestingly, none of the procedures under psychiatry are mandated to be done independently for certification or graduation.[ 28 ] Skills such as administering parenteral medications or sedatives and breaking bad news is not included though they could have been a valuable addition to the curriculum.

Comparison of medical curriculum for medical students between high-income and low- and middle-income-countries

We found that medical curriculum and training for medical students vary across the world. CBME and robust assessment systems have been promoted and implemented throughout the world.[ 1 , 4 , 8 ] Furthermore, there has been a perceived need that students should be exposed to psychiatry training or teaching at earlier stages (foundation/pre-clerkship/pre-clinical years) to realize the aptitude mentioned above and skills.[ 19 , 20 , 29 ]

Similarly, psychiatry training has been variably integrated (vertically and horizontally) with other disciplines of medicine either through system-wise teaching or multidisciplinary training. For instance, some HICs, such as the US, UK, Australia, Canada, etc., have kept psychiatry as a major subject in their medical curriculum.[ 3 , 4 , 30 ] Moreover, they emphasize problem-based training and student-driven learning (providing autonomous conditions that motivate learning) under the supervision of the tutor or psychiatric consultant. Their training heavily involves teaching in small groups (SGs), summer courses or projects, and exposure to sub-specialties (particularly child and adolescent mental health, substance use sisorders, forensic psychiatry, etc.).

Furthermore, they have provision of periodic formative (workplace-based assessment, mid-in-rotation training assessment (ITA), etc.), summative assessments (EPAs and End-of-Rotation ITA), and elective training.[ 19 , 20 , 31 , 32 ] For instance, under the RANZCP fellowship program, various formative and summative EPAs have been designed to assess milestones in training, including workplace-based assessment. The stage-wise summative external evaluations include multiple-choice questions (MCQs), essay writing (earlier stages of the course), objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) (middle-stage), a scholarly project, and psychotherapy case management notes (later stages, including in psychiatry subspecialties).[ 10 , 26 , 27 ] Similarly, the EPAs are assessed based on the stage of the trainee: stage 1, two mandatory adult psychiatry case workups; stage 1 or 2, adult psychotherapies; stage 3, case workups from psychiatric subspecialties (consultation–liaison/child, adolescent psychiatry, addiction-medicine, forensic psychiatry, etc.); and stage 4, two EPAs from each of the previous stages.

Likewise, in the US, CBME has been widely implemented. For instance, at Trinity School of Medicine, exposure to psychiatry starts from the very foundation or pre-clerkship years. It has allotted credit scores provided after a medical student successfully completes the term and has been assessed through various formative and summative assessments. The psychiatry exposure includes lectures on early human development, personality aspects (term 1), behavioral sciences involving the bio-psycho-social model of medicine, neuro-cognitive functions, ethics, and legality in treatment (term 4), and basics of knowledge, communication skills, and professionalism (term 5). The curriculum involves six weeks of clerkship with exposure to psychiatric interviewing skills, rapport building, and case formulations based on the bio-psycho-social model of psychiatric illness.[ 33 ] Moreover, there is a provision for 27 weeks of electives in different disciplines, including psychiatry. This elective exposure may subsequently drive greater student enrollment in the residency program of their respective discipline.

The duration of psychiatry training, both in terms of theory (lectures/seminars, case discussions, etc., at the foundation years/pre-clerkship or throughout the course) as well as clinical attachments (6–12 weeks) are considerably longer compared to most medical schools in LMICs [ Table 1 ]. In contrast, the training in psychiatry is less enriched in LMICs. For instance, in Bangladesh, the duration of a theory class (that is too didactic) is only 20 hours, while the duration of a clerkship in psychiatry is only three weeks; moreover, an internship in psychiatry is not mandatory. Similarly, in countries like India, Bangladesh, and Nepal, training in psychiatry starts from or later than the third year of the medical course. Barring Sri Lanka and Japan, psychiatry is not a major subject in most countries of the south-east Asian region-WHO (SEAR-WHO).[ 1 ] Similarly, psychiatry’s weightage in the residency program’s entrance exam in these counties is abysmally low (comprising 1%–1.5% of total marks).[ 2 , 21 ]

Medical curriculum and psychiatry training of medical students across the world $

# Low-and middle-income country, the rest others are HICs. (): mentions the accreditation body/agency; AIIMS: All India Institute of Medical Sciences, INIs: Institute of National Importance; CAMH: Child and adolescent psychiatry, CAAP: Combined accelerated psychiatry program (CAPP), CL: Consultation-liaison, mgt: management, INIs: Onstitute of national importance, SEAR: Aouth-east Asian, region, SG: small group, SUD: Substance use disorders

Fortunately, many LMICs, including India, with their movement toward CBME, have increased the duration of psychiatry training (at least 40 hours of teaching and around 4 weeks of clinical rotations) for medical students and have recognized that training in psychiatry would inculcate effective soft skills among the students and promote holistic care for the patients during the former’s interaction with the latter in other disciplines.[ 6 ]

Enrichment activities in psychiatry training across the world:

To provide effective training in psychiatry and orient students about various aspects of psychiatry, including reducing the stigma and myths related to psychiatry and making them aware of its scope, many universities, particularly in HICs, are offering such programs or courses for interested students. These include the combined accelerated program in psychiatry (CAAP), University of Maryland (US)[ 19 ]; psychiatry early experience program (PEEP), and single-day enrichment activities in forensic psychiatry at King’s College and Oxford University, Imperial College, respectively (UK); innovative teaching plan (ITP), University of Zaragoza, Spain[ 11 , 20 , 29 ]; Psychiatry Institute for Medical Students program (PIMS Program), Toronto (Canada)[ 31 ]; Claassen Institute of Psychiatry for Medical Students, University of Western Australia,[ 10 , 27 ] etc. Likewise, some of the LMICs such as China (psychiatry major curriculum (PMC))[ 42 ] and Somaliland, Africa (collaborating with the universities of UK and US and involving a hybrid model of training with international teachers on board) have come up with innovative strategies to enrich their psychiatry training [ Table 2 ].[ 16 , 41 ]

Enrichment programs in psychiatry training worldwide and their effectiveness

$ List is not exhaustive, considers those countries whose data emerged on literature search ATP-30: Attitude Towards Psychiatry, devlp: Development, ECT: Electro-convulsive therapy, MH: Mental health, MSE: Mental state examination, LMIC: Low- and middle-income country, comm. rehab: community rehabilitation, SG: Small group, TV: Television. 1 treatment experience, stigma, occupation, family life, employment, etc.; 2 stigma, coercive treatment

Salient features of various enrichment activities

• Targeting students who are interested in psychiatry or are undecided about their choices.
• Early exposure to psychiatry during their medical program (during freshman year in CAPP; two days or semester for five years in PEEP; pre-clerkship period, PIMS program, etc.).
• Supervised training in the clinical aspects of psychiatry such as psychotherapy, CAMH, family therapy, electroconvulsive therapy (PIMS Program), etc.
• Provision of summer courses or projects with micro-credits.
• Training in SGs (in all enrichment programs), including student leader–driven discussions or debates on contemporary issues (CIMS, Australia; ITP, Spain).
• Research work including mandatory research activities in a SG (CIPM, Australia; ITP, Spain) or individually (University of Maryland, US).
• Provision of electives and special credits upon completing the program (University of Maryland, US).
• Greater interaction with psychiatry trainees or residents (PEEP and one-day enrichment program in the forensic psychiatry, UK; CIPM, Australia).
• Regular personalized and supervised training with periodic assessments, including submitting the annual dossier on the students’ performance (University of Maryland).
• Critical sense development through personalized interaction, informal social activities, lunches or dinners, etc. (CAPP; ITP, Univ. of Zaragoza, Spain; PIMS, Canada, etc.).

Effectiveness of the enrichment programs and challenges in running them

Research on these programs has shown that they result in a more positive attitude towards psychiatry (ATP-30), better knowledge about psychiatry, greater skills acquisition, and better academic performance, including better performance compared to psychiatry residents getting enrolled through non-enrichment programs (Maryland). Also, a greater interest in psychiatry as a career (Canada), higher recruitment in psychiatry (CIPM, PEEP), promoting a research mindset (ITP), and an appreciation for the relevance of psychiatry in other medical disciplines (PEEP) were found. Therefore, inducing such enrichment programs at various stages, and of varying intensity, in medical education can enhance psychiatry training of medical students, including utilization of learned skills in medicine in general, thereby contributing to implementing CBME more effectively.

However, such programs bring with them certain implementational challenges. First and foremost is their replicability in different settings, particularly in LMICs, which have limited psychiatric professionals to cater to the individualized needs of such attendees. Secondly, for the success of such programs, the participation of motivated teachers and administrative support is required; on the contrary, in most universities (particularly in LMICs), teachers are already overburdened to be motivated enough to shoulder extra responsibilities, particularly when their efforts are not adequately incentivized. Thirdly, long-term efficacy data on the positive outcome of such programs on psychiatry recruitment and sustenance of the students’ interest in psychiatry is still limited. Thus, the willingness of academic institutions to endorse such programs in low-resource settings may be lesser. Lastly, it needs to be deciphered if the better performance of such programs is solely attributable to the quality and intensity of training or other factors (e.g., extra attention from the program coordinators, other incentives received) play an equal role.

Medical education across the globe during COVID-19 challenges and opportunities

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected medical education across the globe, including the paradigm of CBME. The outbreak has also affected students’ psychiatry training by disrupting their classes, clinical postings, or assessments.[ 8 , 15 ] Institutes across the world, including India, have come out with innovative T-L models (online classes, SG discussions, case simulations, ensuring availability of the resource materials, modified format of assessment) to circumvent these problems. However, their scope and implementation have been non-uniform.[ 13 , 15 ] The latter is attributed to a lack of teaching workforce, difficulty adjusting to the virtual model of T-L and assessment, and non-exposure to the patients, thereby affecting the acquisition of clinical skills, maintaining a teacher–student relationship, and formation of students’ professional identity.[ 15 ]

Simultaneously, the pandemic has brought many opportunities, especially those conducive to the realization of CBME: flexibility in training with greater emphasis on skill-based or learning-based curriculum vis-à-vis time-based curriculum, learning crossing boundaries through accessing online materials at one’s convenience, promoting peer-learning, self-directed learning (a vital component of CBME), innovation in training (case simulation, novel assessment methods) and assessment (developing EPAs), acquisition of digital skills to access information and critically synthesizing them, and greater opportunity to connect with teachers.[ 8 , 46 ]

Undergraduate medical education has undergone a substantial transformation over the years, with an inclination towards CBME. Many countries, particularly HICs, have adopted it in their curriculum and innovated to make it more student-friendly, particularly through various enrichment activities. LMICs have also embraced it to various extents; CMBE has been in different stages of implementation across them. However, this brings challenges at the administrative and teacher–students level, yet it opened opportunities to make medical education more relevant and outcome-oriented. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the CBME framework to be more relevant and necessary than ever before. This paper has highlighted the global pattern of CBME, its implications for medical education in India and other LMICs, and recommended certain future directions.

Implications for psychiatry training under the CBME in India: Challenges and way forward

The enrichment activities (short courses, electives, etc.), which have proved effective in reducing stigma related to mental illness, busting the myths associated with psychiatry, and improving students’ skills, can be replicated in the Indian setting to train students in an opt-in manner. This exposure would help in recruiting students in psychiatry and inculcating the skills of providing holistic care that is culture- and gender-sensitive. Furthermore, the experience and skills learned through such programs would help them promote peer-based learning, build student-leaders who can lead SGs in teaching, and promote self-directed learning, thereby making them better placed to serve society. However, there are the following challenges in implementing CBME and enrichment activities in psychiatry in India [ Table 3 ]:

Challenges in implementing CMBE in psychiatry and the way forward

CBME: Competency-based medical education, HODs: Heads of departments, PG: Postgraduation, UG: Undergraduate, IToP: Indian Teachers of Psychiatry

Administrative blocks: It incluces the lack of trained professionals/educators to take up these tasks at the institutional level, resource constraints, multiple responsibilities that teachers (or consultant psychiatrists) must shoulder in medical schools, etc. The potential solution is to develop and strengthen the medical education wing of each medical institution in the country.[ 47 ] Peer support, mentorship programs for colleagues, workshops, etc., are other functional strategies.[ 8 ] Some laudable steps in this direction have been taken by the medical council of India (MCI) and Indian Teachers of Psychiatry (IToP)[ 48 ] which have initiated a teachers’ training program in the arts of teaching and evaluation.

Attitudinal block among the teachers: Due to inner inertia and lack of orientation, teachers tend to resort to the traditional model of teaching and evaluation of the students.[ 47 ] Hence, teachers (also students) must be adequately primed in CBME, support them in delivering the principles of CBME, and recognize their efforts, including incentivizing them (considering it an achievement worth highlighting in one’s curriculum vitae).

Disproportionate student teachers’ ratio: Due to it, conducting SG discussions, assigning short research projects, personalized mentorship, etc., becomes problematic in the Indian setting, particularly when so many medical colleges are being set up across the country. Therefore, utilizing psychiatry residents, collaborating with other disciplines (interdisciplinary training) and organizations (multi-professional training), and identifying motivated student-leaders (including attendees of enrichment activities) in providing skilled-based training could be important strategies. Furthermore, utilizing platforms like National Knowledge Network and Digital India[ 49 , 50 ] to integrate psychiatry teaching expertise across institutions can be a substantially innovative step in correcting the mismatch in student/teacher ratio and disparity in psychiatry training.

Assessment methods: CBME, at its core, has an essential aspect of formative and summative assessment. However, again, following the traditional teaching model and lack of availability of the entrustable competencies and validated tools to measure them, this part often remains neglected, resulting in sub-optimum evaluation, thus limiting students’ opportunities to learn the required skills. Identifying EPAs to assess the skills, mid-term rotation assessment, utilizing novel and multifaceted evaluation models (OSCEs, debates, case-based learnings, tackling treatment non-adherence, psychoeducation to patients and their family members about the disease, etc.), digital simulation techniques for T-L are potential strategies in this regard.

Addressing students’ stigma towards psychiatry: Students’ resistance to psychiatry training and the stigma associated with the subject can also be addressed by enriching the foundation course by incorporating essential aspects of the behavioral sciences and making it mandatory for the students.[ 29 , 51 , 52 ] Psychiatry teachers must play a significant role in sensitizing the students and invoking interest in mental health and related issues in medical courses. Multidisciplinary teaching, including delivering psychiatry training in the non-psychiatry block of the hospital, is another effective way to make psychiatry more relevant and decrease its stigma.[ 2 , 21 ]

Innovative methods of psychiatry training : Itincludes utilizing novel methods of psychiatry teaching based on low and high touch approaches. For instance, low touch activities that require less supervision (e.g., signs and symptoms in psychiatry, theory, psychopathology, etc.) can be utilized during the foundation period of the students and achieved through interactive online activities. While high touch approaches can be considered for the competency-based activities (interviewing techniques, psychoeducation, delivering psychotherapy) where SG teaching or activities can be supervised by a tutor or psychiatry resident, or senior faculty member in the later part of the curriculum.[ 3 ] Incorporating a blended learning approach (aligned combination of the online and face-to-face T-L method) in psychiatry teaching can be a helpful step; it would also overcome the shortcomings of the traditional T-L approach.[ 53 , 54 ] Similarly, immersive psychiatric training through digital simulation methods can strengthen the training, such as learning interview techniques and communication competencies in a safe, controlled milieu.[ 12 ] Online courses provide just-in-time learning that students can refer to as and when required to master a particular skill, which can also be customized (interactive or didactic).[ 3 ]

Future direction

Considering the opportunities and challenges in implementing CBME worldwide, particularly in LMICs, continuous innovations, evaluation, and course corrections are warranted. For instance, the curriculum should be developed or modified by seeking inputs from the academic institutes, program coordinators, accreditation bodies, etc. The course can be effectively delivered, taking the support of online course developers and education technologists. Similarly, assessment techniques can be strengthened through digital simulation techniques, online interactive quizzes, case-based discussions, OSCEs, and breakout rooms (Zoom or another platform) for SG assessment (individualized or team-wise).[ 3 , 8 ]

Apart from the implementation, the CBME curriculum needs to be assessed periodically for its effectiveness and feasibility. Such evaluation can be carried out, for instance, by utilizing context (identifying unmet needs, unused opportunities, and underlying problems that prevent meeting those needs or using the opportunities pertaining to CMBE), input (perceived definition of CBME by stakeholders, determining competencies, and meaning of those competencies in medical education and achieving excellency), process (monitoring project operations such as content, teaching–learning experience, assessment methods, etc.) and product (CIPP) evaluation (contributions of CBME to students’ academic or vocational developments) model.[ 55 , 56 ] It should be followed by necessary course corrections, including making it relevant for the country’s medical education and catering to the needs of society.

Psychiatry training of medical students is a vital component under CBME, and also in the realization of the goals of the CBME framework under NMC 2019 (India). The medical educationist in general, and psychiatry teachers, need to adapt themselves to provide competency-based teaching to the students so that the latter can contribute to the needs of society and develop as a better professional. Making structural changes in the curriculum, orienting teachers and students about CBME, mentoring teachers, adapting novel T-L methods, utilizing enrichment activities, collaborating with educational institutions and technology providers, periodically evaluating the implementation of CBME, and making appropriate course corrections are essential. Additionally, more implementational research and designing locally relevant curricula and resource material are warranted.

Financial support and sponsorship

Conflicts of interest.

There are no conflicts of interest.

SUPPLEMENTARY FILE 1: SEARCH STRATEGIES

Pubmed search strategy: (((((((((“medical education”[Title]) OR “medical undergraduate”[Title]) OR “medical curriculum”[Title])) OR “undergraduate”[Title]) OR “medical students”[Title]) OR “competency based medical education”[Title]) OR “competency based medical curriculum”[Title])) AND (((“psychiatry”[MeSH Terms]) OR “mental health”[MeSH Terms]) OR “behavioral sciences”[MeSH Terms]): yielded 188 records.

Google scholar:

allintitle: psychiatry training teaching medical OR students OR education OR curriculum OR competency: yielded 24 records.

Act on Student Ideas to Improve Mental Health, Youth Advocate Urges

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As schools confront a youth mental health crisis, they must engage students in finding solutions, said Rick Yang, 17, a senior at Scarsdale High School in New York.

The Jed Foundation (JED), an organization that promotes mental health and suicide prevention for teens and young adults, honored Yang as one of two recipients of its 2024 Student Voice of Mental Health Award in recognition of his state and local advocacy work.

Yang, who is Chinese American, was inspired to action when he saw the barriers a fellow Asian American friend faced in seeking mental health treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. He attributes some of those barriers to the “model minority myth,” a term that refers to cultural stereotypes of Asian American students as high-achieving and academically gifted—a perception that may cause some adults and peers to overlook their needs.

He later advocated for wellness centers in his school district , and he co-founded “Frontiers of Fulfillment,” a group that provides online coaching for student leaders to advocate for policies like excused school absences for mental health.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did your experience during the COVID-19 pandemic influence your advocacy?

I was pretty isolated during [the beginning of] the pandemic. As an incoming freshman, I would say that my transition from middle school to high school wasn’t the greatest. I started high school half remote and half in-person, and it was pretty surreal to live in a world where I kind of stuck in my room most of the time.

I was pretty depressed, locked in my room, playing every video game you could possibly imagine. And sometimes I was even unable to eat dinner with my family. And I think it was certainly that experience, coupled with what I went through with my friend, that showed me that student mental health was a real concern that needed to be addressed.

My friend and I would FaceTime every night. She was depressed and wanted to seek help, but her parents wouldn’t let her at first. They eventually did, and she was actually diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Now she’s doing great; she’s thriving now.

My hypothesis is that—coming from a relatively high-achieving community with a lot of Asian Americans—the model minority myth prevented [her family] from seeking help. She’s a good student, and they didn’t want her to be perceived as weak.

How does your cultural identity as a Chinese American inform your work?

Oftentimes, culture and mental health are interconnected. When we approach mental health challenges in a certain community, I think it’s important to understand how the people in that community have grown up.

I try to highlight the diversity among Asian Americans because we are obviously not all the same. But a lot of us have encountered the model minority myth, even through subtle microaggressions in the hallways. I try to promote education among adults, including teachers, to break down some of the barriers that might keep students from seeking care.

How can schools more effectively address student mental health?

Mental health supports need to be comprehensive in order to effectively reach students. That means all students should be considered, supported, and protected. What works for one student may not help another. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.

What I admire about the Jed Foundation is [its] comprehensive approach to mental health promotion and suicide prevention. It recognizes that there are multiple areas of well-being—like learning about life skills, or having a counseling center—that can make a difference in someone’s life.

Ultimately, I think schools need to listen to the students themselves.

How did you advocate for student mental health in your school district?

The main initiative I started is called SchoolSight. In 2021, I realized the stress students faced at Scarsdale High School needed to be addressed. I attended a conference with Congressman Jamal Bowman where I essentially crafted a proposal to implement universal school-based wellness centers in Westchester County, which eventually blossomed into a countywide initiative.

The response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. I began creating blueprints for introducing these [centers] in schools—universal wellness spaces for all students—starting with a pilot in my high school. So far, I’ve secured over $125,000 in grant funding to develop these spaces. They include things like de-stress zones with beanbags and yoga balls, board games, and places to study privately. Eventually, I’d like to see this scaled up to other districts.

What do you want educators to know about student mental health?

If we genuinely want to make a difference, we must not only allow but actively encourage young people to speak up. We must create environments where young people feel safe to express their thoughts, struggles, and ideas and treat them as equal partners. It fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment among the youth when they see their ideas and feedback being taken seriously.

I think school administrators, policymakers, community leaders must not only try to create platforms for youth to express their views, but they need to actually use that input in decision-making. Co-creation and agency are essential for young people to feel supported.

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Regions & Countries

4. challenges in the classroom.

In addition to asking public K-12 teachers about issues they see at their school, we asked how much each of the following is a problem among students in their classroom :

• Showing little to no interest in learning (47% say this is a major problem)
• Being distracted by their cellphones (33%)
• Getting up and walking around when they’re not supposed to (21%)
• Being disrespectful toward the teacher (21%)

Some challenges are more common among high school teachers, while others are more common among those who teach elementary or middle school.

• Cellphones: 72% of high school teachers say students being distracted by their cellphones in the classroom is a major problem. A third of middle school teachers and just 6% of elementary school teachers say the same.
• Little to no interest in learning: A majority of high school teachers (58%) say students showing little to no interest in learning is a major problem. This compares with half of middle school teachers and 40% of elementary school teachers. 
• Getting up and walking around: 23% of elementary school teachers and 24% of middle school teachers see students getting up and walking around when they’re not supposed to as a major problem. A smaller share of high school teachers (16%) say the same.
• Being disrespectful: 23% of elementary school teachers and 27% of middle school teachers say students being disrespectful toward them is a major problem. Just 14% of high school teachers say this.

Policies around cellphone use

About eight-in-ten teachers (82%) say their school or district has policies regarding students’ use of cellphones in the classroom. Of those, 56% say these policies are at least somewhat easy to enforce, 30% say they’re difficult to enforce, and 14% say they’re neither easy nor difficult to enforce.

High school teachers are the least likely to say their school or district has policies regarding students’ use of cellphones in the classroom (71% vs. 84% of elementary school teachers and 94% of middle school teachers).

Among those who say there are such policies at their school, high school teachers are the most likely to say these are very or somewhat difficult to enforce. Six-in-ten high school teachers say this, compared with 30% of middle school teachers and 12% of elementary school teachers.

Verbal abuse and physical violence from students

Most teachers (68%) say they have experienced verbal abuse from their students, such as being yelled at or verbally threatened. About one-in-five (21%) say this happens at least a few times a month.

Physical violence is far less common, but about one-in-ten teachers (9%) say a student is physically violent toward them at least a few times a month. Four-in-ten say this has ever happened to them.

Differences by school level

Elementary school teachers (26%) are more likely than middle and high school teachers (18% and 16%) to say they experience verbal abuse from students a few times a month or more often.

And while relatively small shares across school levels say students are physically violent toward them a few times a month or more often, elementary school teachers (55%) are more likely than middle and high school teachers (33% and 23%) to say this has ever happened to them.

Differences by poverty level

Among teachers in high-poverty schools, 27% say they experience verbal abuse from students at least a few times a month. This is larger than the shares of teachers in medium- and low-poverty schools (19% and 18%) who say the same.

Experiences with physical violence don’t differ as much based on school poverty level.

Differences by gender

Teachers who are women are more likely than those who are men to say a student has been physically violent toward them. Some 43% of women teachers say this, compared with 30% of men.

There is also a gender difference in the shares of teachers who say they’ve experienced verbal abuse from students. But this difference is accounted for by the fact that women teachers are more likely than men to work in elementary schools.

Addressing behavioral and mental health challenges

Eight-in-ten teachers say they have to address students’ behavioral issues at least a few times a week, with 58% saying this happens every day .

A majority of teachers (57%) also say they help students with mental health challenges at least a few times a week, with 28% saying this happens daily.

Some teachers are more likely than others to say they have to address students’ behavior and mental health challenges on a daily basis. These include:

• Women: 62% of women teachers say they have to address behavior issues daily, compared with 43% of those who are men. And while 29% of women teachers say they have to help students with mental health challenges every day, a smaller share of men (19%) say the same.
• Elementary and middle school teachers: 68% each among elementary and middle school teachers say they have to deal with behavior issues daily, compared with 39% of high school teachers. A third of elementary and 29% of middle school teachers say they have to help students with mental health every day, compared with 19% of high school teachers.
• Teachers in high-poverty schools: 67% of teachers in schools with high levels of poverty say they have to address behavior issues on a daily basis. Smaller majorities of those in schools with medium or low levels of poverty say the same (56% and 54%). A third of teachers in high-poverty schools say they have to help students with mental health challenges every day, compared with about a quarter of those in medium- or low-poverty schools who say they have this experience (26% and 24%). 

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