Depression and the use of psychoactive substances by health science students

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify in the literature the relationship between drug use and depressive disorder in health science students. The Scientific Library Online “SciELO” and the Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences “LILACS” databases were used. The DeCS terms, for “PUBMED”, the Mesh term for LILACS. The descriptors were selected according to the PVO strategy (Participants, variables and objectives), they were related to the participants (undergraduate students in the health area), the variables (Use of alcohol and other drugs), and to the objective (depression). Original articles published between 2015 and February 2021 in English, Portuguese and Spanish were included. Five articles were included in the review. The results of the analyzed studies show that the context and family relationships influence drug use. Women are more likely to develop depression given their multiple social demands in many roles, on the other hand, men have greater access to and use several psychoactive substances. The most used types of protocols and tests are “Questionnaires Elaborated by the Author”, and the “Beck Scale for Depression|” (BDI). Depression and anxiety mental disorders are frequent objects of study in the health sciences. They are frequent problems among university students from different countries, and there is a wide range of recommendations on the treatment of these two pathologies. There is a scarcity of studies that address the issue of psychotherapy or the performance of actions by higher education institutions on the subject.