Prevalence of Depression Among Students of Urmia University of Medical Sciences (Iran)

Objective: A depressive disorder is an illness that involves the body, mood, thoughts and behaviors. This study was performed to identify the presence of depression among medical students of Urmia University of Medical Sciences. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 700 undergraduate medical and basic sciences students. Beck depression inventory (BDI) used for data gathering. Results: Mean score of BDI was 10.4 ± 0.8 and 52.6% of students scored under the depression threshold. Four of them had severe depression. Results showed no significant relationship between depression and age, education, sex, rank of birth or duration of education. Conclusion: Prevalence of depression that can affect the students’ quality of education and social behavior was high in Urmia University of Medical Sciences.